FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
#4 NORWICH 1, #5 EMMANUEL 0
NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Sophomore defender Noah Schiers (South Weber, Utah) scored in the 83rd minute to lift the Norwich University men's soccer team over Emmanuel College, 1-0 in the opening round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Sunday afternoon at the Sabine Field at Haynes Family Stadium.
Norwich and Emmanuel went into action as the two conference foes would in a quarterfinal match. The Cadets seemed to dominate in the first half as they took six shots, but the Saints put up a fight on defense and left them scoreless in the first half.
The Cadets saw an opportunity to get on the board in the 12th minute as junior Moab Schiers(South Weber, Utah) controlled the ball at the top corner of the Saints' goal box before lobbing a cross over to Jacob Zimmerman's (Litchfield, N.H.), feet for the chip in shot off the left corner, but the ball would clang into the crossbar and over the net for the Saints' goal kick.
Emmanuel saw had a chance to score in the 23rd minute when Stefano Sainato (Albany, N.Y.) made a shot from the top of the goal box, only to watch the ball get jammed up by Norwich defender Christian Albrecht (Albuquerque, N.M.) as the Cadets cleared the ball out of their defensive end.
A minute later, the Cadets looked to counter with the ball as Matt Mazzola (Ridgefield, Conn.)pulled the trigger from the top left corner of the box, only to watch the Saints' keeper James Withers (East Taunton, Mass.) come up with the save as the half ended with no score on the board.
The second half started with Emmanuel pressuring heavily and the Saints almost produced a goal when Sainto saw the ball free in front of the Cadets' goal and contested Norwich's keeper,Stefan Skoff (San Jose, Calif.) for the ball but Skoff managed to outrace him and cover up the ball before any damage was made.
The Saints' heavy pressure on Norwich's defense continued throughout the second half as Emmanuel produced nine shots in the frame, but Skoff would make four stops. Skoff would come up with a huge save in the 63rd as Emmanuel's Colin O'Donnell (Killingworth, Conn.) drilled the ball from the right side of the box towards the left corner of the goal as he watched the ball flick off Skoff's fingertips for the save.
Norwich would turn the table in the final 15 minutes of the second half as the Cadets made three strong shots on goal, including a scramble in left front corner of the net as Zimmerman connected the ball on a cross from Colin Lozito (Wilmington, Vt.) for the chip-in but the ball would end up into Withers' hands for the stop.
The Cadets would get on the board at the 82:37 mark when Noah Schiers controlled the ball from 25 yards out and attempted, what was originally a hard cross over the box but the ball sail past Withers' hands and catch into the top left corner of the goal.
With six minutes remaining in the game, Emmanuel scrambled to get on the board quickly with three shots in the final minutes but the Cadets' defense held their ground and the ball out of the net for the win.
Skoff would come up with five saves for his 12th win of the season, while Withers came up with seven saves for the Saints.
With the win, Norwich will face the defending champions and top-seeded Johnson & Wales in the semifinal round in Providence, R.I. on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 5:00 p.m.
Courtesy of Norwich Athletics Communications.
#1 JWU 9, #8 SUFFOLK 0
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – During the first 29 minutes, the Johnson & Wales University men's soccer team played even with eighth-seeded Suffolk University before taking down the Rams, 9-0, on Sunday in the quarterfinals of the GNAC Tournament.
Goalkeepers:
JWU: Nick Tolman, 3 Saves, 0 Goals; Record: 12-4
SU: David Haines: 7 Saves, 9 Goals; Record: 0-1
The Lead
During the two games against Suffolk this season, the Wildcats have scored 15 goals, including four each by junior Xavier Carty (Mt. Vernon, NY) and freshman Tucker MacPherson (Raymond, NH). Carty had a hat trick on Sunday while MacPherson had a pair as did Teagan Drake (Waterbury, Vt.).
Of Note:
Carty scored his first at the 29:30 mark of the first half when he put back the rebound of Devin Walshe's (Coventry, RI) shot. He added two more goals in second half. The hat trick is the first of Carty's collegiate career and the second by a Wildcat this season. Byron Arboleda(Pawtucket, RI) scored three times against Anna Maria on Oct. 21.
The nine goals are the most the Wildcats have scored since posting an 11-1 win over Southern Vermont College on October 23, 2005. Johnson & Wales has won 10-straight games – equaling the streak from the 2006 squad – and has won 19-straights at home over GNAC opponents.
For the second-straight game, and fifth time in seventh games, MacPherson scored a pair of goals. He's tied for the league lead with 13 goals and is tops in the GNAC at 33 points. The rookie redirected a shot from Chris Schmid (Clifton Park, NY) at the 39:27 mark for the second goal of the game. MacPherson also assisted on the fourth goal of the game.
That goal was the first of two by Drake as he scored the fourth and fifth goals. It's the first multi-goal game of Drake's collegiate career. Schmid tallied three points as he scored the third goal of the game an assisted on two more.
JWU Statistical Leaders:
Xavier Carter: 3 Goals
Tucker MacPherson: 2 Goals, 1 Assist.
Teagan Drake: 2 Goals
Coachspeak:
"I think it was a matter of figuring out the first goal and I felt (Suffolk's) resolve might change once we got that first goal. Over the course of the game we established ourselves as a dynamic attacking team." -JWU Head Coach Dave Kulik
Next Game:
The Wildcats will play host to Norwich in the semifinals of the GNAC Tournament on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Johnson & Wales beat Norwich 3-2 in overtime during their regular-season meeting.
Courtesy of JWU Athletics Communications.
#6 ALBERTUS MAGNUS 2, #3 SAINT JOSEPH'S 1 (OT)
STANDISH, Maine – Junior midfielder Alex Zapata (Hamden, Conn.) scored the game-winning goal to lead the Albertus Magnus College men's soccer team past Saint Joesph's College, 2-1, in overtime on Sunday afternoon at Westerlea Way Field in the opening round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament.
With the win, the sixth-seeded Falcons improve to 10-8 on the year and advance to conference semifinals where they will face No. 2 seed Mount Ida. With the loss, third-seeded Monks move to 11-7-1 overall.
Between the pipes, sophomore goalkeeper Griffin Volta (Orange, Conn.) made six saves to earn his seventh victory of the season for Albertus Magnus. On the opposite end, senior Scott Benner turned aside two shots in a losing effort for the hosts.
Saint Joseph's grabbed an early lead when junior Johnny Thomas scored off a Jesse Ramirez pass in the 13th minute and the 1-0 edge remained until the 70th minute, when AMC junior midfielderMatt Mueller (Cheshire, Conn.) knotted the match with his fourth goal of the season.
Both teams had several chances to take the game in the final 15 minutes of play, but neither side would convert until the 95:58 mark when Zapata unleashed a bending kick, from just outside the box on the left side, past the outstretched hands of Scott Benner into the top right corner of the net.
On the Falcons first tally, a foul on the Monks resulted in a free kick from just inside the center stripe by Zapata, who delivered a perfect ball into the box where junior Ben Colter (Guilford, Conn.) – in traffic - tapped a right-to-left pass across the goalmouth to Mueller, who punted the ball into a wide-open net.
The game-winner came after a missed opportunity by Saint Joseph's, a Falcon defender lofted a ball deep down the left side of the field to Zapata, who used some fancy footwork to find a shooting lane and scored a beautiful goal to end the contest in thrilling fashion for the visitors.
The Monks held a slight, 16-15, advantage in shots and took eight corners compared to seven for Albertus Magnus. The physical contest saw 23 fouls whistled and four cards handed out.
The contest was the 12th decided by one goal or less this season for AMC, with the Falcons posting a 6-6 marks in those tilts.
The win was the 15th in program history in GNAC Tournament play for the Falcons, as the visitors improved to 3-0-0 all-time against the Monks in the league tournament.
The Falcons and the Mustangs square off on Wednesday, November 4, at 3:30 pm with a berth in the conference championship on the line. Earlier this season, Mount Ida topped Albertus Magnus, 2-1, in Massachusetts. The Falcons will look to avenge the early-season setback and advance to the GNAC Championship for the first time since 2012.
Courtesy of Albertus Athletics Communications.
#2 MOUNT IDA 1, #7 LASELL 0 (OT)
NEWTON, Mass. – For the second straight year, Mount Ida College will play in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's soccer semifinals after a pair of goals by senior Carlos Martinez (Chelsea, Mass.) powered the Mustangs to a 2-1 overtime victory over Lasell College in a quarterfinal tilt on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Field.
This year the second seeded Mustangs (12-5-1) will play the semifinals on their home turf, as they will host #6 Albertus Magnus on Wednesday, November 4 at 3:30 p.m.
The Mustangs have shown a penchant for performing late all season long, improving to 4-1-1 in overtime games. They have also been a force within the confines of Alumni Field, as they have now won nine straight games at home, with their only loss coming in the season opener against Roger Williams back on September 1st, a full two months ago.
With 2:47 remaining in the first overtime period on Sunday, Martinez received a ball played over the top by junior Shawn Bernardo (Peabody, Mass.), that left him unguarded behind the defensive back-line of the Lasers.
The flag for offsides stayed down, however, and Martinez was left one on one with Lasell goalie Miguel Colmenares (Caracas, Venezuela), who he deked and slotted past for the decisive goal, his first game-winner of the year.
After a scoreless first half in which Mount Ida held a 10-7 lead in shots, a flurry of activity saw two goals scored in less than two minutes.
Lasell junior Jonathan Sutton (Orange, Conn.) gave the Lasers the lead when his corner kick caromed off of the Mount Ida defense and past Riley Ford (Guilderland, Conn.) in the 58th minute.
It was the first goal of the year for Sutton, but it would only provide a short-lived edge for the visitors, who conceded a free kick to Mount Ida just over a minute and a half later. After a touch from junior JT Yager (Ballston Spa, N.Y.), Martinez rifled the ball into the top corner at the far post from 25 yards out to knot the score at a goal apiece.
Martinez's goals were his seventh and eighth of the season, giving him 26 for his career, which ties the Mount Ida school record, equaling the work of Diego Centurion (2001-04).
Opportunities were more plentiful for each team in the second half, with Mount Ida outshooting the Lasers 12-10. Ford made five stops in the second half, en route to a seven save performance, and would save his only test in overtime, off the foot of Lasell sophomore Stephen Blood (Windsor, Conn.).
Colmenares made seven saves in defeat as he ends an impressive Laser career in which he made 75 starts between the pipes. Colmenares was no less impressive in his final performance, stopping point blank shots by Martinez and Alexi Flores (Central Falls, R.I.) in the first half to keep the teams level.
The Mustangs dominated the overtime period with a 7-1 advantage in shots, leading to a 29-18 edge in attempts over the game, coupled with a 10-4 corner kick lead.
Lasell ends their season with a 3-13 record after posting a 3-6 mark in conference play and making the postseason for the ninth consecutive year since joining the GNAC in 2007.
Courtesy of Mount Ida Athletics Communications.
Quarterfinals - Sunday, November 1
Game 1: #1 Johnson & Wales 9, #8 Suffolk 0
Game 2: #4 Norwich 1, #5 Emmanuel 0
Game 3: #6 Albertus Magnus 2, #3 Saint Joseph's of Maine (OT) 1
Game 4: #2 Mount Ida 1, #7 Lasell 0 (OT)
Semifinals - Wednesday, November 4
Game 5: #4 Norwich at #1 Johnson & Wales - 5:00 p.m.
Game 6: #6 Albertus Magnus at #2 Mount Ida - 3:30 p.m.
Championship - Saturday, November 7
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner