FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WINTHROP, Mass. – For the sixth straight season, Lasell College has earned the right to serve as the No. 1 seed in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament. During that span, the program has never lost more than one regular-season game in league play, and it will look to close out the 2018 campaign unbeaten against GNAC foes when it travels to Emmanuel College on Wednesday evening to close out the regular season.
The Lasers' successful string of runs in the GNAC Tournament dates back even further, as they have won the last eight GNAC Championships under head coach Vito LaFrancesca dating back to the 2010 season. Lasell will be in search of its ninth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament when the 2018 GNAC Tournament begins with quarterfinal action this weekend.
Lasell will draw eighth-seeded University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) on Friday at 3:00 PM. Third-seeded Johnson & Wales University (RI) will host sixth-seeded Colby-Sawyer College on Friday at 7:00 PM, while fifth-seeded Regis (Mass.) and fourth-seeded Emmanuel square off in Boston, also at 7:00 PM on Friday.
All three games were originally scheduled for Saturday, but then changed to Friday due to potential nor'easter across the region on Saturday.
Second-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine will now host its quarterfinal match on Sunday at 12:00 PM against seventh-seeded Simmons University. The game had originally been scheduled for Saturday. That game's winner will face the Colby-Sawyer/JWU winner in the Oct. 31 GNAC semis. SJC earned the No. 2 seed as a result of its Oct. 13 1-0 overtime victory over JWU.
Last fall, Lasell went through SJC, Simmons and JWU en route to the Lasers' eighth straight GNAC crown. This year's GNAC Final will be hosted by the highest remaining seed in just under two weeks on Saturday, November 3.
Be sure to catch all of the tournament action live on thegnac.tv or watch on one of our four custom digital streaming apps (broadcasts are produced by host institutions). Fans can also purchase GNAC co-branded and championship apparel through the conference's partnership with SquadLocker. For more information, please click HERE.
Friday, October 26 - Quarterfinals
Game 1: #8 Saint Joseph (CT) at #1 Lasell - 3:00 PM
Game 2: #5 Regis at #4 Emmanuel - 7:00 PM
Game 3: #6 Colby-Sawyer at #3 Johnson & Wales - 7:00 PM
Sunday, October 28 - Quarterfinals
Game 4: #7 Simmons at #2 Saint Joseph's of Maine - 12:00 PM
Wednesday, October 31 - Semifinals (at higher seeds)
Game 5: 4/5 winner vs. 1/8 winner
Game 6: 3/6 winner vs. 2/7 winner
Saturday, November 3 - Championship
Game 7: at highest remaining seed
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
– #TheGNAC –