The Houghton men's soccer team has qualified as the #3 seed for the Empire 8 Conference Championships, hosted by Stevens Institute of Technology. They will be playing the #2 seed Ithaca College this Friday, November 4 at 7 p.m. in Hoboken, N.J.

Head Coach Matthew Webb has offered some insight about the upcoming matchup with Ithaca and as the Highlanders head into their first post-season contest of the 2016 season.

The last time you faced Ithaca you played on grass but this week you will be playing on turf how will that effect play between you and Ithaca?
"It changes things a bit, but probably not a major factor.  Ithaca plays their home games on grass, but they play plenty of games during the season on turf, so it isn't like they aren't used to the surface. Playing on turf simply speeds up the game a bit. Both teams have quality technical ability, so I am not convinced it is a major advantage for one team over the other."

How have you fared over the past years against Ithaca?
"Our overall record the past 5 years with Ithaca is 1-2-2… so relatively even results. Total goals in those games is Houghton – 6, Ithaca – 6. We are pretty evenly matched. We carried the play a bit more in our game with them this year and generated more chances, but they were equally dangerous with the chances they had."

What plans or strategies do you plan on employing to help get you to the Championship?
"Score more goals than the other team. Pretty simple, really. We won't change how we play. We have a personality as a team, and we aren't about changing that personality going into post-season.  Just working on refining and cleaning things up. We will be ready."

How is the overall health of the team looking, mentally and physically?
"Pretty good. Not that there aren't some bumps and bruises, but generally speaking, we have stayed pretty healthy this year. Mentally we are in a good place. Like I said after our game on Saturday…. we had gone 10 games in a row without a loss. Losing on Saturday may have been the best thing that could have happened to us going into post-season."

Is there anyone on the team you are looking to keep everyone on the same page and be the leader this post season?
"Our seniors have as a collective group been our leaders this year. I don't know if there is just one guy that we are leaning on. The entire group is mature and solid... they all keep us moving in the right direction."

Below are the live stats and live stream links that are available for Friday's matchup with Ithaca:
Live Stats #3 Houghton vs. #2 Ithaca | Live Stream #3 Houghton vs. #2 Ithaca