FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2015
Penmen Set New Record in Winning Their 4th-Straight NE-10 Crown
HOOKSETT, N.H. - Senior Sebastian Stezewski scored what would prove to be the only goal of the match in the 19th minute to lift the third-ranked and top-seeded Southern New Hampshire to its fourth straight Northeast-10 title with a 1-0 victory against third-seeded Adelphi on Sunday afternoon at Larkin Field.
Both teams are expected to hear their name called Monday night when the NCAA announces the field for the 2015 Division II Men's Soccer Championship on a selection show that airs at 6 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Stezewski gave the Penmen a 1-0 lead 18:17 into the match as he dribbled through a handful of Adelphi defenders and sent a low shot, which he tucked just inside the left post, past diving Panther goalkeeper, Spenser Powell.
Southern New Hampshire nearly doubled its lead in the 38th minute as graduate student Nate Horton made a bid similar to Stezewski's goal, but the ball rolled just inches wide of the left post.
Powell kept it a one-goal game for Adelphi late in the 58th minute as the deep drive off a restart from senior Jonathan Lupinelli looked to be a back-of-the-net-seeking missile, but Powell leapt and punched the ball over the crossbar.
Powell again saved the day for Adelphi early in the 63rd minute as Stezewski made a bid for his second of the day, but the visiting goalkeeper was able to get enough of the ball to deflect if off the crossbar. The rebound caromed out to graduate student Sofiane Tergou, who hit a quick strike that Powell was able to knock away and out of play.
The furious pace continued late in the 65th minute as Federico De Oliveira found himself alone in the box with the ball on his foot, but his chance at the equalizer went wide of the open right side of the net.
Adelphi possessed for the majority of the final 10 minutes of the match, but did not generate any extremely dangerous chances as the Penmen staved off the Panthers.
Senior goalkeeper Nick Zucco only needed to make two saves for his eighth shutout of the season, while Powell turned away four shots for Adelphi.
2015 NE-10 Men's Soccer All-Championship Team
Alejandro Penzini, Adelphi
Toni Soler, Adelphi
Nick Hoffmann, Bentley
Joseph Briers, Merrimack
Gilbert Manier, Southern New Hampshire
Sebastian Stezewski, Southern New Hampshire
Nick Zucco, Southern New Hampshire
Most Outstanding Player: Nick Zucco, Southern New Hampshire
Reporting for this release provided by the Southern New Hampshire Athletics Communications Staff
2015 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Soccer Championship Schedule
1. Southern New Hampshire (12-1, 36 pts)
2. Merrimack (9-2-2, 29 pts) *
3. Adelphi (9-2-2, 29 pts) *
4. Bentley (8-4-1, 25 pts) **
5. Southern Connecticut (8-4-1, 25 pts) **
6. Le Moyne (8-4-1, 25 pts) **
7. Saint Rose (7-5-1, 22 pts)
8. Saint Michael's (5-7-1, 16 pts)
* Merrimack and Adelphi tied during the season; Merrimack earns the higher seed via a win over So. New Hampshire (Adelphi lost to SNHU).
** In the three-way tie between Bentley, So. Connecticut and Le Moyne, the tie-breaker was record within the mini-conference (Bentley had a 2-0 record; So. Connecticut had a 1-1 record; and Le Moyne had a 0-2 record).
Tuesday, November 3rd
Quarterfinals at Higher Seeds
Match 1: #1 Southern New Hampshire 3, #8 Saint Michael's 0
Match 2: #2 Merrimack 2, #7 Saint Rose 0
Match 3: #3 Adelphi 2, #6 Le Moyne 0
Match 4: #4 Bentley 3, #5 Southern Connecticut 2
Friday, November 6th
Semifinals - at Higher Seeds
Match 5: #1 Southern New Hampshire 2, #4 Bentley 0
Match 6: #3 Adelphi 2, #2 Merrimack 1
Sunday, November 8th
Championship at Highest Seed
Match 7: #1 Southern New Hampshire 1, #3 Adelphi 0
ABOUT THE NORTHEAST-10 CONFERENCE
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes.
Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.