The Lane Men's Soccer team defeated the Portland Panthers in their final regular season match last week.

This win solidified a 2nd place finish in the NWAC Southern Region for the Titans.

In the NWAC, the top 3 seeds in each region earn a playoff berth, with the 1st seed getting a BYE and the 2nd seed hosting the 3rd seed in a first round matchup.

The Titans earned a home playoff match Wednesday November 6th against a familiar foe. The Tacoma Titans.

Tacoma defeated Lane in Eugene earlier this season 5-1, which started a four game skid for Lane.

But the Lane team that will take the field Wednesday is very different than the one in early September.

Not only were they missing key players like Mamadouba "Papa" Yansane and Alex Eberhard, they have keyed in on an early season weak point. Defense.

The Titans have given up only three goals in Southern Region play, and only one in the past six games.

Defense has been a point of emphasis by Coach Ty Ohrtman since their early season struggles and the results have shown on the field.

The emergence of Dia Cheikh Ibrahim, a 6'6" midfielder who has scored two goals in his first three matches, adds an extra wrinkle to the Titans.

Tacoma, however, is still a dangerous opponent who can score quickly. They have ten goals in their last four matches.

The winner will take on the number one ranked team in NWAC, the Peninsula Pirates, in Port Angeles for the right to go to the Final Four.

The match on Wednesday will begin at 6 PM.