Ospina knows seeds are mostly meaningless

Wayland Baptist men's soccer coach Cristhian Ospina isn't too concerned about his team's seeding for the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament. The Pioneers are seeded next-to-last in the eight-team, single-elimination tournament that begins Friday, but Ospina said it's no big deal.
 
"It's the time of year when anybody can win," he said.
 
The coach fully understands that seeds are mostly meaningless since the Pioneers have been the higher seed the last two years only to fall at home in the first round of the conference tournament. Last season the Pioneers went into the conference tourney seeded third and fell in the first round to John Brown University, 2-1. A year earlier, again at home, Wayland – ranked No. 12 in the country and seeded second in the SAC – was ousted in the first round by St. Gregory's, 1-0.
 
"It (seeding) doesn't matter," Ospina said.
 
After two years of being knocked off as the higher seed, the Pioneers will be looking to turn the tables when Wayland (7-7-2, 3-6 SAC) travels to Siloam Springs, Ark., to take on second-seeded John Brown (12-5-1, 8-1) at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
 
"Obviously, they're one of the best teams in the conference, but they're beatable, too," Ospina said of the Golden Eagles. "If the guys are mentally ready, we have a really good chance to beat John Brown."
 
To do it, the Pioneers will have to snap out of a recent funk that has seen them drop three straight matches and four of their last five, including a 2-1 loss to John Brown in Arkansas two weeks ago. The good news is all of those losses have been close.
 
"I feel like we have a great chance," he said.
 
To beat JBU, Ospina said the Pioneers must make the most of their scoring opportunities.
 
"John Brown is really defensive, but they leave a lot of space in the back. If we take advantage of our chances we can win," he said.
 
Like his team's low seed, Ospina also isn't concerned with the long road trip from Plainview to Siloam Springs.
 
"We didn't want to go all the way to John Brown just because of the distance, but it's not that big of a deal," he said. "They're a good team, but I feel we're up for the challenge. We're looking forward to it."
 
The winner advances to the semifinals against either third-seeded Southwestern Christian (13-5, 7-2) or sixth-seeded Texas Wesleyan (9-7-1, 3-5-1). The semis will be played Monday at the home of the highest-remaining seed. The championship match is set for Thursday, Nov. 12, again at the home of the highest-remaining seed.
 
"John Brown, Southwestern Christian and (top-seeded) USAO definitely are the teams to beat," Ospina said. "But in the playoffs you never know what can happen."
 Friday, Nov. 6 – Quarterfinals (All times are set by the host institution)
(8) St. Gregory's (2-6-1, 5-10-2) at (1) Science and Arts of Oklahoma (9-0, 16-2), 3:30 p.m.
(5) Southwestern Assemblies of God (4-5, 9-8-1) at (4) Oklahoma City (6-3, 6-9), 2 p.m.
(6) Texas Wesleyan (3-5-1, 9-7-1) at (3) Southwestern Christian (7-2, 13-5), 2 p.m.
(7) Wayland Baptist (3-6, 7-7-2) at (2) John Brown (8-1, 12-5-1), 5:30 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 9 – Semifinals
St. Gregory's/USAO winner vs. Southwestern Assemblies/Oklahoma City Winner
Texas Wesleyan/Southwestern Christian winner vs. Wayland Baptist/John Brown winner
(Games played at highest remaining seed)
Thursday, Nov. 12 – Championship
(Games played at highest remaining seed)