CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

Courtesy of USJ Athletics Communications:

STANDISH, Maine – For the first time in program history, the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team advances to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) championship game, as the Blue Jays took down top-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine (SJC) on the road, 2-0, during the GNAC Semifinals on Wednesday night at the SJC Athletics Complex in Standish, Maine. After a scoreless first half, senior forward Benjamin Marchetti (Higganum, Conn.) gave USJ the lead in the 79th minute, before senior midfielder Michael Torres (Hartford, Conn.) put the icing on the cake with the teams' second goal in the 89th minute. The win over the Monks is the first for the Blue Jays in the five-year history of the program.

KEY MOMENTS 

• The match started as a battle of the midfield as neither side could break through the opposing defense.

• SJC would find the first chance in the seventh minute, as Gus Ford's (Falmouth, Maine) long-range strike was aimed right at USJ's senior goalkeeper Matthew Goebel (Norton, Mass.), who made the easy save.

• Marchetti generated the first scoring opportunity for the Blue Jays in the 14th minute, but his shot missed wide left of the net.

• The Monks quickly responded with back-to-back scoring chances of their own, looking to break open the scoring. Alec Kosinski (East Lyme, Conn.) tried his luck on a strike from outside the box in the 18th minute, but Goebel made the initial save, collecting the loose rebound to keep SJC off the board. Goebel once again came up big for the Blue Jays, diving down to his right two minutes later to keep out Ford's long-distance effort.

• The match went quiet again until the 26th minute, when Marchetti had the best chance of the first half. Running into the path of a through ball from the midfield, the senior forward muscled off his defender, forcing a one-on-one situation with SJC's goalkeeper, Mike Sheridan (Folsom, Pa.). However, Marchetti saw his shot miss inches wide of the left post as the game remained scoreless.

• Neither offense would muster a great scoring opportunity for the remainder of the half as the game entered the halftime break deadlocked at 0-0.

• Senior Forward Dane Stephens (Jamaica) wasted little time in the second half to try and put USJ ahead, as his effort less than a minute into the closing 45 minutes was directed right at Sheridan.

• The match would slow down after the opening salvo from Stephens, as SJC nearly took the lead in the 62nd minute. After working the ball into the box, Michael Wildes (Winslow, Maine) took a shot from a tough angle, that was brilliantly saved from point-blank range by Goebel. The deflection fell right back to the Monks, but the follow up shot went wide of the net, keeping the game scoreless.

• Senior forward Mergim Kutllovci (Thomaston, Conn.) nearly broke the deadlock, collecting a loose ball after a USJ free kick in the 75th minute, but his effort went just wide of the left post.

• USJ continued to pile on the pressure, ultimately taking the lead in the 79th minute. Marchetti would streak down the left flank, cutting inside the 18-yard box. The forward accurately placed his shot past Sheridan at the near post, giving the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead.

• The hosts nearly found the equalizer in the 84th minute, but Kosinski's free kick from just outside the box cannoned off the crossbar denying the Monks from levelling the score.

• Goebel came up clutch for USJ late in the match, as he made a perfect save off a free kick in the 87th minute, corralling the loose ball to maintain the 1-0 lead.

• Torres would put the icing on the cake for the Blue Jays in the 89th minute, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead. Sheridan rushed out of his goal to clear a long ball by USJ, but his clearance fell right to Torres who played the ball into the empty net, securing the upset victory, 2-0.

QUOTABLE 

"Incredible performance tonight. We managed to accomplish something we have never done before. Our players defended exceptionally well and we survived some difficult moments in the game. Attacking wise, we showed great quality with the opportunities we created and converted," said head coach Paul Wright.

"I couldn't be prouder of the guys tonight, we had a plan and stuck to it. All the guys worked as hard as they could and we fully deserved the win," said Marchetti.

"This was a great team win," graduate student forward DeAnte Anderson (Bloomfield, Conn.) said. "We knew coming in what had to be done and this has been a long time coming. Four of my teammates and I started this program back in 2018 and we finally got over the hump tonight to earn the right to play for a championship. Seeing where the program is now, and knowing I played a role in this, makes this even more special. I'm so proud of my teammates tonight."

NOTES 

• Marchetti netted his team-leading 13th goal of the season.

• Torres netted his fifth goal of the campaign.

• SJC held a 14-10 advantage in shots, including a 7-5 edge in shots on goal.

• The Blue Jays held the narrow edge in corners, 2-1.

• Goebel recorded seven saves on the night to log his fifth shutout of the season. With the win, he improved his record to 2-0-1 on the year.

• Goebel has not allowed a goal during the 331:43 minutes he has played this season.

WITH THE WIN

• USJ earned its first triumph over SJC, cutting the gap in the all-time series to 5-1-0.

• The Blue Jays improved to 4-3 all-time in postseason play.

• USJ advances to the GNAC title game for the first time in program history.

UP NEXT 
The Blue Jays head to Providence, R.I. to take on the No. 2 seed Johnson & Wales University for the GNAC Championship game on Saturday, November 5. Kickoff against the Wildcats is TBD.

Courtesy of JWU Athletics Communications:

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Sophomore Brian Miller scored the eventual game-winning goal late in the first overtime to propel the Johnson & Wales (RI) University men's soccer team to a 2-1 double OT in over Emmanuel (MA) College Wednesday night in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Semifinal action at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex.

Senior Esteban Osorio also scored for the Wildcats (15-1-3), who advance to the GNAC Finals for the second time in three season and sixth time under head coach David Kulik. No. 2 seed JWU will host No. 4 Saint Joseph (CT), who upset top-seeded St. Joseph's (ME) 2-0 in Standish, Maine earlier in the day. The Wildcats are seeking their fifth GNAC Championship under Kulik, having previously won the conference crown in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2019.

With time winding down in the first extra session, senior Alexander Pane – a member of the 2019 GNAC Championship squad – sent a corner kick from the far left corner of the field into the box. The ball darted through a maze of student-athletes before Miller's header inside the left post set off a furious celebration at the SMAC. The Saints (7-5-7) had a pair of shots in the second OT, one of which was stopped by senior goalkeeper Jacob Friedman, who finished with seven saves.

Osorio opened the scoring at 10:37 when he kicked a loose ball near the top of the box and netted his second goal of the season. Less than 10 minutes later, Emmanuel knotted the score at one on Pedro Andres-Vasquez' third marker of 2022.

The Wildcats outshot their visitors from Boston 5-3 in overtime and closed the match with a 20-16 edge.