2019 Sun Belt Men’s Soccer News and Notes:
Standings | Composite Schedule | Stats | Championship
 
AROUND #SUNBELTMSOC
• The 2019 Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer Championship gets underway this week at the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex in Boone, N.C. All five tournament matches are set for live coverage on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Live statistics are available on SunBeltSports.org.
 
• This week's NCAA Division I RPI listed four Sun Belt teams in the top 100 – Central Arkansas (26th), Appalachian State (54th), Coastal Carolina (71st) and Georgia State (82nd).
 
• Central Arkansas (10-6-1, 4-1 Sun Belt) clinched its first Sun Belt regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in its first season in the conference. The Bears have two conference tournament titles to their credit (Gulf South in 2002 and Missouri Valley in 2017). Central Arkansas has appeared in the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship once as a Division I program (2017) and three times as a Division II program (2002, 2004 and 2005).
 
• Central Arkansas senior forward Niklas Brodacki enters the tournament ranked second in the Sun Belt and tied for 21st nationally with 11 goals this season. He is the Division I active leader in career goals (50) and points (108).

• For his hat trick in Central Arkanas' regular-season finale, Bears junior midfielder Soren Jensen was named United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Men's National Player of the Week on Nov. 12.
 
• Coastal Carolina (8-7-2, 3-2) has one of the top two seeds for the Sun Belt Tournament for the third time in its four seasons in the conference. The Chanticleers went 4-1-1 in their final six matches of the regular season, outscoring their opponents 12 goals to four.
 
• With the No. 3 seed, Howard (5-11-1, 2-3) earned its highest seed for the Sun Belt Championship in its fourth season in the league. Once again anchoring the Bison defense, senior goalkeeper Carlos Caro ranks third in Division I in saves per game (6.46) and tied for fifth in total saves (84).
 
• No. 4 seed Georgia Southern (7-8-2, 2-3) and No. 5 seed Georgia State (10-4-3, 2-3) meet in the first round after the in-state rivals played for the tournament title a year ago. The Panthers won that match but the Eagles won this year's regular-season meeting 2-1 on Oct. 12.
 
• Georgia State (10-4-3, 2-3) comes in the championship not being a top-three seed for the first time since the conference reinstated men's soccer in 2014. The fifth-seeded Panthers sport double-digit wins under head coach Brett Surrency for the fourth-straight season. Surrency enters the championship one victory away from becoming just the second head coach in school history to reach 100 career wins.
 
• Georgia State junior forward Aris Briggs still ranks as one of the top goal scorers in the country this season, sitting ninth nationally in goals per game (0.82). His goals per game and 14 total goals lead the Sun Belt.
 
• Host and sixth-seeded Appalachian State (10-6-1, 2-3) is seeking its first Sun Belt Tournament title. The Mountaineers have matched their highest win total (10) since 2015.
 
• The league's postseason honors were led by Brodacki named Sun Belt Player of the Year and Central Arkansas head coach Ross Duncan named Sun Belt Coach of the Year.
 
• Coastal Carolina junior forward Tyrone Mondi, Georgia Southern senior defender Gonzalo Talavera, Georgia State senior defender Kyle Clinton, sophomore midfielder Logan Luque and senior forward Frank Rosenwald earned CoSIDA Academic All-District® first-team honors in District 3 and are now eligible for Academic All-America honors.
 
• Clinton was one of 30 men's soccer student-athletes on the initial list for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award®. The initial list will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one male candidate. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2019 NCAA Men’s College Cup® in December.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
2019 SUN BELT MEN’S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
Wednesday, November 13
Match 1 - No. 5 Georgia State vs. No. 4 Georgia Southern (ESPN+), 4 p.m.
Match 2 - No. 3 Howard at No. 6 Appalachian State (ESPN+), 7 p.m.
 
Friday, November 15
Match 3 - Match 1 Winner vs. No. 1 Central Arkansas (ESPN+), 4 p.m.
Match 4 - Match 2 Winner vs. No. 2 Coastal Carolina (ESPN+), 7 p.m.
 
Sunday, November 17
Match 5 - Match 3 Winner vs. Match 4 Winner (ESPN+), 1 p.m.
 
All Times are Eastern and Subject to Change