ST. PAUL – Tuesday marks the start of the new season for the University of Northwestern men's soccer team. The second-seeded Eagles head into postseason play as the #2 seed in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Postseason Tournament and will take on the third seeded University of Minnesota Morris in a 2 p.m. contest at Reynolds Field.

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UNW heads into the playoff matchup with a 10-9-1 overall record, including a 10-3-1 mark in UMAC action. With the Eagles' 2013 league record, the squad secured its highest conference win total of at least the last six years. For the second consecutive campaign, Northwestern also reached a double-digit win total with a victory over Crown College on Friday.

The Purple and Gold will look to be led by its duo of offensive top scorers of the season, Joshua Fryc (Harris, Minn./Homeschool) and Sean Taylor (Sydney, Australia /Kenosha Christian Life ), while the defender crew of current UMAC Defensive Player of the Week Joshua Wolderich (Ferndale, Wash./Hillcrest Academy), Matt Flanders (Osceola, Wis./Homeschooled), and Shane Coleman (Wyoming, Minn./Homeschool) have all had successful 2013 campaigns.

The Cougars possess a current record of 11-8-1 and have posted a 10-3-1 league outcome. The squad will look to senior Ebrima Badgie and freshman Austin Keller to carry the weight on the offensive end of the pitch, as the duo have combined for 17 of UMM's 42 season goals. In goal, Jacob Borach has allowed just 13 scores on the year en route to a 1.12 goals allowed average, good enough for third among all UMAC goalkeepers. Borash is joined by fellow Cougar goalie Matthew Yost who lands third in the league in the goals allowed average category with a 1.15 posting.

In the other UMAC Semifinal, top-ranked College of St. Scholastica will play host to #4 Bethany Lutheran College on Wednesday at 2 p.m. The winner of each matchup will advance to Saturday's Championship game, played at the home field of the highest remaining seed. A trip to the NCAA Division III Soccer Playoffs is on the line for all four teams in this week's conference tournament, and the recipient of the automatic qualifying bid will represent the UMAC November 15-17 at the regional rounds of play.