ROSEMONT, Pa. - The No. 3 seed Cairn University men's soccer team (11-3-2) will compete in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Championship game for the first time in program history on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. at No. 1 seed Rosemont College (11-4-1).
 
THE SERIES:
 
Cairn holds a 9-1-2 record all-time over the Ravens dating back to 2009, when the teams first met, with their last meeting ending in a 1-1, double overtime draw at Bristol Township Park earlier this season. Before their last meeting, the Highlanders won seven straight matches from 2013 to 2019. Rosemont's last victory over the Highlanders came at Rosemont when the Ravens defeated the Highlanders 4-1, their only victory over Cairn in the teams' history.
 
TRENDS:
 
Cairn has won two-straight games entering tonight's contest, including victories in eight of their last nine games. Cairn punched its ticket to the championship game with a 1-0, double overtime triumph over No. 2 seed Keystone College off a Josh Goodyear header in the final minutes to seal the victory. Rosemont has won three-straight games and have been victorious in seven of their last eight contests. The Ravens last loss came on October 16 against Alvernia University and have not lost a conference game all season, with their lone tie coming earlier this season at Cairn.
 
THE COACHES:
 
Cairn University eighth-year Head Coach Luke Gibson has gone from a two-win team in his first year in 2014 to establishing the Highlanders as one of the premier teams in the CSAC. The 2018 CSAC Coach of the Year, Gibson is making his first appearance in the CSAC Championship Game at the helm of the Highlanders and has led Cairn to four-straight conference playoffs appearances. Gibson has totaled 59 total wins as the Head Coach, including three-straight seasons with double-digit wins. Rosemont first-year Head Coach John Loiodice has re-worked the Raven's men's soccer program, improving the Ravens from a sub-.500 team in 2019 to the No. 1 seed in the CSAC playoffs in 2021.
 
INSTANT OFFENSE:
 
Cairn freshman forward Jesse Brittain, the 2021 CSAC Rookie of the Year, is second in the conference in scoring with 16 total goals and 38 total points. Brittain tied the program record for goals in a game (*stats only date back to 1993) with four goals against Gallaudet University in Cairn's second game of the season on September 4. The Highlanders have not lost a game this season when Brittain scores a goal. Rosemont sophomore Kaiden Fields, the 2021 CSAC Player of the Year, leads the CSAC with 19 goals and 47 points. Fields scored when the two teams met and battled to a double overtime, 1-1 draw earlier this season. Fields 19 goals are tied for the eighth-most among NCAA Division III counterparts, while Brittian's 16 tallies are tied for 20^th in the country. Rosemont and Cairn are the No. 1 and No. 2 offensive teams in the conference, averaging 3.6 and 2.6 goals per game, respectively.
 
KAMMY WHAMMY:
 
Cairn senior goalkeeper Kameron Clark, the 2021 and 2019 CSAC Defensive Player of the Year and 2018 CSAC Rookie of the Year, is the man between the pipes for the Highlanders. Clark leads the conference in nearly every single goalkeeping statistical category, ranging from goals against average (.884) to save percentage (.849) and is tied for the CSAC-lead in shutouts (4). Rosemont counters with sophomore goalkeeper Todd Berman whose 1.40 goals against average is the third-best mark among CSAC counterparts.
 
GOOD TO BE GOODYEAR:
 
Cairn senior defender and Team Captain Josh Goodyear commands the Highlander back line, helping Cairn post the least goals allowed in the conference with 16. Goodyear has also give the Highlanders a boost offensively this season, tallying career-highs with six goals, four assists and 16 points. Seniors Stephen Filimonczuk and Hunter Keaton and junior Easton Shelley round out the Highlanders stout back line.