Evans, GA - After capturing a fourth consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference title and a second straight NCAA West Region Championship, the Simon Fraser University men's soccer team is back in the NCAA Division II "Final Four" for the second straight season, this time facing the Carson Newman Eagles in the semi-final. 

"Preparation for every game is the same, whether we're playing in the 'Final Four' or the first game of the season," said Head Coach Alan Koch. "This is the longest trip by far of the season but we've had recovery sessions and I think we're ready. We'll get a good night's rest, do a couple things tomorrow and it will be a good match tomorrow night."

The game is available online, in high definition at http://www.ncaa.com/championship/liveplayer/player?gameId=382489&date=2013/12/05.

Fans are invited to a free viewing party to watch the game at the SFU Theatre. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

"We had a good training session today," said Head Coach Alan Koch. "The guys are confident, look very comfortable, I think we are over the tough travel and we feel good going into tomorrow's game. We focused on a couple things in terms of how we're going to play tomorrow, how we're going to defend and the guys got it right." 

So far in 2013, the Clan have already broken their own GNAC record for goals in a season with 75 while allowing just 17. 

The Clan are the lone "Final Four" team to return to the tournament from last season and that experience could prove to be a key advantage for SFU heading into Thursday's match against Carson-Newman.

Simon Fraser boasts a youthful roster that has proven to be one of the most potent offences across the NCAA. 

The Clan are anchored up the middle by GNAC Player of the Year Chris Bargholz (Fuessen, Germany), GNAC Defensive Player of the Year Alex Rowley (Maple Ridge, BC) and GNAC Freshman of the Year Magnus Kristensen (Stavanger, Norway). 

Ten goals apiece from Colin Jacques (Richmond, BC) and Jovan Blagojevic (Coquitlam, BC) topped a roster that boasted 18 different goal scorers and was the number one team in the NCAA in scoring offence (3.41), total goals (75) and total points (205).

SFU has won four matches to reach the "Final Four" including a double overtime victory against number one ranked Cal-State Los Angeles and a victory in penalty kicks against the University of California San Diego to clinch their second straight NCAA West Region Championship.

Those two games were sandwiched between a tournament opening 5-0 victory against Cal Baptist and a 5-0 victory against Southwest Region Champion Regis.

Meanwhile the Clan's opponent on Thursday, the Carson Newman Eagles of Tennessee will be making their first "Final Four" appearance under third-year coach Richard Moodie.

The Eagles finished third in the South Atlantic Conference with an 8-3 record and enter Thursday's game with a 15-5-1 overall record.

Carson Newman has defeated two number one ranked teams to get to Georgia, defeating Limestone and Rollins.

They are led by SAC Player of the Year Ross Frame, whose 18 goals rank seventh across the NCAA this season. 

Midfielder Sindre Welo and goalkeeper Rumwald Le Guevel were also first-team All-SAC selections, and a trio of Eagle defenders earned honourable mention all-conference honours. 

Both semifinal matches will take place on Thursday at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Ga. Southern New Hampshire University will square off against Rockhurst University at 2:00 p.m. pacific time, with Simon Fraser taking on Carson-Newman at 5:00 p.m.

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