Sweet 16 for Transy and Matt

New Albany graduate Matt Karaffa and Transylvania University are celebrating after reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III tournament at the weekend thanks to, not one, but two penalty shootout victories.

Karaffa, who has returned to the fray for the Pioneers after being sidelined with a broken collarbone at start of the season, scored in the first shootout Friday over Ohio Weslyan (6-5) after a 1-1 tie.

Transy (15-2-3) then progressed to this weekend’s last 16 after another penalty shootout victory, this time against John Carroll University (4-3) after a scoreless encounter.

The Lexington based school will now play Washington University of St Louis (15-4-2) this Friday for a place in the quarter-final. A win there would see them pitted against Trinity Texas or Wisconsin Oshkosh for a spot in the last four.

The finals weekend takes place at Disney Wide World of Sports Complex, near Orlando, Florida on November 23 and 24.

Senior Karaffa said that despite reaching the Sweet 16 - the best performance in the school’s history - the players are not planning on finishing the season that way.

Already, they’ve secured a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament for the sixth time in seven years after beating Manchester 2-1 recently and now they have a taste for more success.

“In our eyes, there is much more we can accomplish,” he said. “We are happy with the two wins we've picked up in such a dramatic fashion, but now we must get focused for the game ahead of us. Washington University is going to be a tough opponent but we're looking forward to the challenge.

“The whole season, our team has seen the talent and potential we have when we are at our best, and to see us making it this far into the tournament for the first time in Transy's men's soccer history is something I will never forget. I’m so excited to be a part of this experience.”

The former Bulldog was very nearly not part of the experience. Initially, it was thought the broken collarbone injury he suffered on August 25 would keep him out for the rest of the season. However, with the assistance of his doctor, he had an expedited recovery, returning earlier than expected on October 3 to play in 12 games to date.

“Personally, I feel fortunate just to be able to come back from this injury to play my senior year,” he said. “My doctor told me I would probably have to change my style of play a bit and play a little more conservative but it's very hard for me not to go into every tackle or back down from 50/50 challenges.

“I have trained myself to fall down in ways that protect my collarbone as much as possible to prevent re-injuring it. but injuries are a part of soccer. Sometimes you're lucky and sometimes you're not so lucky.”

Photo, above: New Albany’s Matt Karaffa celebrates after Transylvania University secured the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship when beating Manchester 2-1 recently.

Net-Surfers' Purple reign supreme!

Net-Surfers' U12 Purple girls reigned supreme at the weekend when striking gold at Veterans' Invitational tournament in Evansville.

The Purple team went unbeaten - winning three and tying its fourth game - to capture the Classic section with 10 points.

The FCE Lady Lions were the first to be tamed on Saturday by coach Dave Carrier’s girls, when going down 3-1. Next up was a crunch tie with JB Marine Foerster, which they won 3-2 in a tight encounter.

On Sunday, Net-Surfers continued its purple patch with a 2-0 victory over Lady Strikers, before clinching the title against nearest rivals Owensboro United with a 1-1 tie.

Meanwhile, Net-Surfers' U11's totted up four points in the Classic 2 section. It started well with a 3-1 win over Lady Ambush and tied 3-3 with SWISA Tigers, but found Lady Invasion (2-0) and Lady Blitz (3-0) too strong.

The U13s lost its games to JB Marine/Foerster (4-1), FCE Cobras (2-0) and Metro Strikers (3-1), while the U12 White Waves found SWISA, Thoroughbreds, Evansville Elite and Lady Ambush tough opposition.

This weekend is the turn of the boys, with Southern Indiana United's U9 Thunder and U11 Terriers hoping to reproduce its fine recent form.

U9 Thunder has already tasted success this year when winning the Bluegrass Invitational tournament in Lexington in August. It plays against Evansville Elite and SWISA Academy on Saturday before a double dose of Thoroughbreds (B and Green) on Sunday.

The U11 Terriers, 5-1-1 in tournament play this season, will be hoping to add to its win column with games against Jasper Firestrikers and Evansville Elite.

Driggers and Starck make District team

New Albany's Nathan Driggers and Providence's Brad Starck have been named on the area’s 2007-8 All-District team chosen by the Indiana Soccer Coaches' Association.

This is the second year that forward Driggers has been named on the District 5 team, while it's the first selection for center-half Starck. Both are seniors.

Named on the second team were Ben Hughes (Providence) and Dylan Abrahamson (Jeffersonville), while Kaylea Lipps of Jeffersonville was named on the girls' second team for the second year.

All-District Showcase games will be held between the six selected teams this Saturday and Sunday (November 17 and 18) at North Central High School in Indianapolis.

Coaches of record nominated players by submitting profiles in advance of the their district meetings in October and every member coach in attendance has the opportunity to present and promote any players from their roster who are listed on the district ballot.

Each District selects 18 first team and 12 second team players. From this list, the top 18 junior and senior players are offered roster positions for the teams that compete against each other this weekend.