WINTHROP, Mass. - All of the top seeds took care of business at home in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer Quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 2 and advancing to the GNAC semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Top seeded University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) breezed past Regis, 5-0, while the No. 2 seed Albertus Magnus chipped in a header in overtime to lift themselves over a pesky No. 7 Rivier squad, 2-1. Another OT header would lift No. 3 seed JWU over No. 6 seed Anna Maria, 3-2, as No. 4 seed Emmanuel defeated No. 5 Saint Joseph's (Maine) in a penalty kick shootout, 1-1 (4-2 PK: Home).
USJ will take on Emmanuel at 4:00 pm in West Hartford, Conn. while JWU will take on Albertus Magnus in Providence, Rhode Island with a time to be determined.
The winners of the semifinal round will advance to the 2024 GNAC Championship Game on Saturday, Nov. 9th where the winner of the championship will clinch an automatic qualifier into the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament.
#1 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) def. #9 Regis, 5-0
Full Recap of the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) Athletic Communications Department
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team took care of business at home, defeating ninth-seeded Regis Colleg (Regis), 5-0, during the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Quarterfinals Saturday afternoon at the USJ Soccer Field in West Hartford, Conn. With the victory, the Blue Jays' have now advanced to the semifinals for the fifth-straight season. With the win, the Blue Jays improved to 12-4-3 on the year while the Pride conclude their 2024 campaign at 6-9-4 overall.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Both teams would test the opposing goalkeepers early in the match, but could not find the back of the net.
- USJ were granted a perfect opportunity to open the scoring at the 29:59 mark, as senior forward Dane Stephens (Linstead, Jamaica) was brought down inside the box, earning the Blue Jays a penalty kick. Stephens stepped up to take the spot kick, sending the Regis keeper the wrong way and establishing a 1-0 lead.
- The Blue Jays nearly doubled the scoring a minute later as junior defender Eduardo Chavez-Baez (Norwalk, Conn.) saw his strike rattle off the crossbar, but neither team would find the back of the net, as USJ held a 1-0 lead entering the halftime break.
- USJ doubled the advantage with 58:04 showing on the clock, as freshman forward Damir Cirikovic (Southington, Conn.) picked out a pass to classmate Mario Milardo (Middletown, Conn.), who rocketed the ball into the net, increasing the gap to 2-0.
- Milardo extended the lead to 3-0 at the 69:15 mark, getting on the end of a passing combination by graduate student midfielder Henry McGarrah V (Hartford, Conn.) and sophomore midfielder Nate Gabriel (Naugatuck, Conn.), before scoring his second goal of the game.
- McGarrah V would get on the scoresheet himself, finding the back of the net at the 82:46 mark, before notching his second assist of the night, dishing out a pass to Cirikovic who fired a shot into the goal at the 87:01 mark, increasing the USJ lead to 5-0.
- The Pride would not find a late consolation goal, as the Blue Jays secured a dominating 5-0 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- McGarrah V recorded his team-leading 11th goal of the season.
- Milardo recorded his first career brace.
- Freshman goalkeeper Will Slayton (Manchester, Conn.) got the start in goal, playing the opening 78 minutes, recording four saves to keep his fifth shutout of the season.
- Freshman Aidan Peterson (Cheshire, Conn.) played the remaining 12 minutes in goal, tallying one save.
#2 Albertus Magnus def. #7 Rivier, 2-1 (OT)
Full Recap courtesy of the Albertus Magnus Athletic Communications Department
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College men's soccer team is heading to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinals after a header from Morgan Stone (Wallingford, Conn.) in the 100th minute, lifted the Falcons to a 2-1 overtime win over Rivier in the quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon in a thrilling victory at Celentano Field.
The goal came with 49.1 seconds left in the first overtime as a corner kick from Johan Stagnaro (East Hartford, Conn.) sailed to the far post and Stone rose up above everyone and headed it into the back of the net to send Albertus to its first GNAC semifinals appearance since the 2015 season, which was the last time the Falcons made the conference championship game.
Lorenzo Lauria (New Haven, Conn.) also had a goal for the Falcons in the first half.
The Falcons will now take on Johnson and Wales on Wednesday, November 6 at Celentano Field in the GNAC semifinals.
David Lucero (East Haven, Conn.) had
THE BASICS
FINAL: Albertus Magnus 2 | Rivier 1 (OT)
RECORDS: Albertus (11-4-4) | Rivier (7-6-7)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Falcons - seeded second - outshot the No. 7 Raiders, 6-0 in the first half and were able to get on the board in the 28th minute as Gabriel Paglia (Amity, Conn.) headed the ball into the box to Lauria. Lauria's first touch helped get him to the center of the box and he took a left-footed shot past the dive of Rivier goalkeeper, Logan Clough to make it a 1-0 game. It was the fifth goal in the last three games for Lauria, who now has 10 goals on the season.
- Rivier tied the game in the second half in the 50th minute when Luiggi Ferreira volleyed in a shot off a pass from Jose Ochoa just in front of the net to the the match at 1-1.
- In overtime, the Falcons knocked on the door often as Stagnaro, Aiden Coelho (Naugatuck, Conn.) and Paglia all knocked on the door of scoring until the heroics from Stone gave them the victory.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Albertus
David Lucero (W, 9-3-4) 3 Shots on Goal | 2 Saves | 1 Goal Allowed
Rivier
Logan Clough (L, 6-6-7) 10 Shots on Goal | 8 Saves | 2 Goals Allowed
BY THE NUMBERS
SHOTS: Albertus 18 | Rivier 6
SAVES: Rivier 8 | Albertus 3
CORNER KICKS: Albertus 8 | Rivier 7
FOULS: Rivier 13 | Albertus 8
#3 Johnson & Wales def. #6 Anna Maria, 3-2 (OT)
Full Recap Courtesy of the Johnson & Wales Athletic Communications Department
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Sophomore Bruno Teixeira scored the game-winning goal 6:56 into overtime to propel the JWU (Providence) men's soccer team to a dramatic 3-2 win over Anna Maria College in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Quarterfinal action at the Scots Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex.
Graduate student Aidan Bagley and junior Carlos Andrade also found the back of the net for the Wildcats (14-2-3), who advance to play No. 2 Albertus Magnus in Connecticut on Wednesday. Bagley – the reigning GNAC Offensive Player of the Year – assisted on the game-winner in OT while sophomore Christopher Vargas helped set up the second JWU goal.
The Wildcats appeared to have the match won when Andrade broke a 1-1 tie with his fourth goal of the season with 2:22 remaining in regulation. Following the goal, Cameron Brito was accessed a red card, leaving his team shorthanded for the remainder of the match. Shortly after the ensuing kickoff, however, Tadiwa Chikwanha sent a free kick into the box that was flicked by Gabe Tellez and headed in by Baptiste Petitjean to tie the match and force overtime.
In the extra session, Bagley played the ball into the box and Teixeira skied over his defender and headed the ball into the right side of the net at 96:56 to end the match and keep the Wildcats hopes of a repeat conference championship alive.
Graduate student Sean Furtek got the start in goal and recorded three saves to earn his second win of 2024. The Wildcats outshot the AMCats 13-9 – including 3-0 in overtime – and took nine corner kicks, compared to five for the visitors.
#4 Emmanuel def. #5 Saint Joseph's (Maine), 1-1 (4-2 PK- EMM)
Full Recap Courtesy of the Emmanuel Athletic Communications Department
BOSTON – For the third time in team history, Emmanuel men's soccer is on to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Semifinals, following a dramatic win in penalty kicks on Saturday afternoon against the Saint Joseph's College Monks. The match ended 1-1 before the Saints won 4-2 in penalty kicks.
Of the three times the Saints have made the GNAC Semifinals, they've advanced twice by a quarterfinal win in PK's. For NCAA records, the match ends in a draw and moves the Saints to 10-5-3 this season.
Through two rounds of PK's the Monks and Saints were tied 1-1 after both sides converted a shot and hit the left post with their other attempt. Saints first-year Jacob Beck and Monks junior Griffin Forbes each scored in round three, keeping the PK shootout at 2-2.
The turning point came in the final two rounds as Emmanuel senior David Gydus stepped to the spot and fired a right-footer into the net. Monks senior Gus Ford stepped up next and his attempt looked destined for the bottom left corner, but a sprawling right-handed save by junior Maddox Pierce gave the Saints a 3-2 edge.
Sophomore Cam Naples would be the match's final kick taker as the Monks goalie dove the wrong direction as Naples' shot hit the right netting, giving the Saints the 4-2 win in penalties.
The match nearly avoided penalties as the Monks had the best chance in overtime, coming in the 97th minute. A cross from the right side was met with a diving header by first-year Nick Marion from in close. His diving attempt looked set for the top corner but instead, hit the crossbar and fell out of play.
All the regulation scoring happened in the final 10 minutes of the first half with the Monks striking first in the 36th minute to take a 1-0 lead. Marion laid a pass off to senior Dante Roselli at the top of the penalty area. Roselli's strike deflected off a Saints defender and into the right side netting for the day's first goal.
The Saints responded just minutes later in the 39th to square the match. Off a set piece, first-year Rafael Matamoros crossed a pass that found the head of senior Joey Soucy, who headed it back across the goal and into the path of first-year Aaron Picker. From inside five yards, Picker volleyed his right-footed shot just under the crossbar, tying the match 1-1.
By advancing, the Saints return to play with a trip to the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 4:00 p.m. In their regular season meeting this year, Emmanuel handed the Blue Jays their only in-conference loss in a 2-0 victory for the Saints.
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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