FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A pair of upsets and a pair of higher-seeded teams won during the Quarterfinal Round of the 2017 Notheast-10 Conference Men's Soccer Championship. Here's how all four games played out on Tuesday -
#8 Bentley 2, #1 Adelphi 1
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – Junior Julian Stewart, pictured, scored two second half goals as Bentley upset top-seeded Adelphi 2-1 on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the NE10 Men's Soccer Championship. Stewart scored in the 70th and 86th minutes as the Falcons rallied from a 1-0 first half deficit.
It's the fourth win in a row and sixth in seven games for the Falcons as they continue their late season run. They will face No. 5 seeded Le Moyne on Friday in the semifinals as they defeated Southern New Hampshire on penalty kicks tonight.
Adelphi, which was ranked No. 8 in the country coming into the game, led 1-0 at halftime on a goal by James Thirstino in the 28th minute. The goal came after Falcons goalie David Price saved a penalty kick from Federico De Oliveria, but Thirstino was able to get to the rebound and poke it in to give the Panthers the lead.
#2 Merrimack 2, #7 Franklin Pierce 0
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - No. 24 Merrimack defeated Franklin Pierce, 2-0, in the NE10 Quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday night from Martone-Mejail Field. The Warriors will now host Southern Connecticut on Friday night at 7 p.m.
Senior Juan Meza crossed the ball into the box, and junior Lars Sund tapped the ball into the net to put Merrimack on the scoreboard first. The Warriors would extend their lead in the 56th minute when senior Michael Dushman sent a long pass down the right side of the field to classmate Aasmund Joedahl. Joedahl made a quick move on the defender and fired a low shot into the corner to make it 2-0.
#3 Southern Connecticut 3, #6 Saint Rose 1
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Southern Connecticut claimed a dominant 3-1 victory over Saint Rose in the opening round of the NE10 Championship. The Owls opened the scoring early in the 17th minute as senior Lucas Saunders scored off of a low cross from senior Sabri Akter. Saunders would slot the ball into the bottom left corner of the net to give the Owls a 1-0 lead.
Senior Louis Greenway-Tambini scored ten minutes later when he received the ball at the top of the 18-yard box, dribbled to the right past a defender, cut the ball back to the middle of the field and shot to the far post into the back of the net. The Owls would finish the first half with a 2-0 lead. Greenway-Tambini struck again in the 48th minute off of a rebound to put the Owls up 3-0 early in the second half. The Golden Knights wouldn't give up though as they put one past the Owls in the 78th minute of play, a header to the right side of the net to cut the lead down to two.
#5 Le Moyne 0, #4 SNHU 0, Le Moyne advances on PKs 4-2
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Le Moyne senior goalkeeper Ben Beaury stopped two of the four penalties he faced to help send the Dolphins to the NE10 semifinals. Beaury, the regining NE10 Goalkeeper of the Year, stopped the first attempt he faced and then made another save to help send Le Moyne through to the next round.
With Bentley's upset win over Adelphi in another Quarterfinal game, Le Moyne will play host to the Falcons Friday afternoon at 1pm.
2017 NE10 Men's Soccer Championship Schedule
Tuesday, October 31
Quarterfinals - at Higher Seeds
Match 1: #8 Bentley 2, #1 Adelphi 1
Match 2: #2 Merrimack 2 #7 Franklin Pierce 0
Match 3: #3 Southern Connecticut 3, #6 Saint Rose 1
Match 4: #5 Le Moyne 0, #4 Southern New Hampshire 0
Friday, November 3
Semifinals - at Higher Seeds
Match 5: #8 Bentley at #5 Le Moyne | 1:00pm
Match 6: #3 Southern Connecticut at #2 Merrimack | 7:00pm
Sunday, November 5
Championship at Highest Seed
Match 7: Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner
*Please note that the championship game time shall be 1:00 PM.
Additional information for this reelase provided by the athletic communication staffs at Bentley, Merrimack, and Southern Connecticut.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 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 NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.