GNAC MEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
WINTHROP, Mass. – No. 7 seed New England College and No. 8 seed Regis both took care of business at home in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer Championship Play-In Round to advance to the GNAC Tournament Quarterfinals on Saturday, Oct. 28.
NEC jumped out to an early lead over No. 10 seed Lasell and never looked back as it wrapped up a 3-0 victory. The Pride played a scoreless first half against No. 9 seed Emmanuel, but got on the board in the second. After the Saint equalized, Regis recaptured the lead and held on for the 2-1 result.
In the GNAC Quarterfinals on Saturday, No. 1 seed Saint Joseph's (Maine) hosts Regis, while No. 2 seed Johnson & Wales hosts NEC. The match in Standish is scheduled for 1 p.m., while kickoff is set for noon in Providence. In the other two quarterfinals No. 3 seed University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) hosts No. 6 seed Dean at 1 p.m. with No. 4 seed Albertus Mangus hosting No. 5 seed Norwich at 7 p.m.
The GNAC Quarterfinal winners will advance to play in the GNAC Semifinals on Tuesday, Oct. 31 with the prevailing teams competing for the GNAC Championship on Saturday, Nov. 4. The winner of the GNAC Championship match will be named the 2023 GNAC Men's Soccer Champion and earn the conference's automatic qualifier into the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship.
#7 New England College 3, #10 Lasell 0
Recap courtesy of the New England College Athletic Communications Department.
HENNIKER, N.H. – Playing in the first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) playoff game in school history, the seventh-seeded New England College men's soccer team dominated out of the gate to claim a 3-0 victory over visiting tenth-seeded Lasell on Thursday evening at Don Melander Field in Henniker, New Hampshire, storming into the GNAC Tournament quarterfinals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Just two days after being upset by the Lasers down in Newton to lose any chance for a bye into the next round, the determined 'Grims set the tone when they came out firing, tallying seven shots in the first five minutes of the game, scoring two goals in the first nine minutes, taking a 3-0 lead into halftime. At 4:13 into the first half, a beautiful free kick by NEC junior defenseman Darren Mota from thirty yards out found star senior forward Logan Cassin in the box. Cassin's header bounced off the crossbar but found freshman midfielder Santiago Sanchez who finished for his sixth collegiate goal to give the Pilgrims the 1-0 lead.
- Less than four minutes later it would be Cassin scoring his 12th goal of the season with assists to sophomore midfielder Wyatt Flibbert and junior midfielder William Scala. Cassin would score again in the 32nd minute with an assist to senior midfielder Alex Rust, giving Cassin thirteen goals on the year.
- In the second half, Lasell, desperate to keep their season alive, brought a renewed sense of urgency, pressuring NEC throughout. But time and again, the 'Grims' defense held tough, turning the Lasers away empty-handed.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- NEC junior goalkeeper Hayden Walker posted one of his best games of the career for the 'Grims, tallying ten saves on the night for his second shutout of the season.
- Lasell junior goalkeeper Antonio Centracchio finished with four stops for the Lasers.
- Cassin led all players with ten shots in the match.
- Lasell junior forward Daniel Faynstein had a team-high eight shots for the Lasers.
#8 Regis 2, #9 Emmanuel 1
Recap courtesy of the Regis Athletic Communications Department.
WESTON, Mass. - Amongst a flurry of activity over the final 27 minutes of regulation, eighth seed Regis pulled ahead late in the second half and held on to defeat ninth seed Emmanuel, 2-1, Thursday night in the first round of the 2023 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer Tournament at Regis Stadium.
In the 64th minute, Federico Lavini-Ayalla advanced the ball towards the box and sent it forward, where Sebastian Ortiz was able to direct it into the net for his second goal in as many matches. For Lavini-Ayalla, it was the fourth time in the last five matches that he earned at least one point.
The Pride created a couple scoring opportunities to try and extend their advantage, including a shot on target by Paco de Juan in the 76th minute, but Emmanuel goalie Maddox Pierce was able to make the save.
The Saints quickly went on the counterattack, with Seiki Thasith advancing the ball up the left side of the field. His crossing pass into the box found Joe Anderson for a header into the net that tied the match at 1-1.
Less than one minute later, Regis found itself back on the offensive, threatening the Saint goal. A clearing attempt by Emmanuel instead landed at the feet of Jeremiah Frias, whose blast found the upper right corner of the net for the go-ahead tally with 13:25 remaining in regulation.
Earlier in the second half, Emmanuel created a scoring opportunity as Guilherme Silva found space to advance the ball up the left side of the box. His shot went past Regis goalie Ethan Donahue, but William Comeiro was backing Donahue up and cleared the ball away before it crossed the goal line.
Donahue finished with three saves as he earned his sixth victory of the season. He received help not only from his teammates, but also the woodwork, as a shot by Anderson midway through the first half hit off the crossbar and stayed out of the net. Pierce ended up with two saves in the match.
2023 GNAC Men's Soccer Tournament Schedule
Play-In – Thursday, Oct. 26
(Hosted by higher seeds)
#7 New England College def. #10 Lasell, 3-0 | BOX
#8 Regis def. #9 Emmanuel, 2-1 | BOX
Quarterfinals – Saturday, Oct. 28
(Hosted by higher seeds)
#8 Regis at #1 Saint Joseph's (Maine), 1 p.m.
#7 New England College at #2 Johnson & Wales, Noon
#6 Dean at #3 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 1 p.m.
#5 Norwich at #4 Albertus Magnus, 7 p.m.
Semifinals – Tuesday, Oct. 31
(Hosted by higher seeds)
#1/8 Winner vs. #4/5 Winner, TBD
#2/7 Winner vs. #3/6 Winner, TBD
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 4
Semifinal winners, TBD
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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