FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 16, 2012
Courtesy of Southern New Hampshire Athletics Communications
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Mohamed Toufik scored twice and Dom DiMaggio notched his fourth shutout of the postseason as second-seeded Southern New Hampshire University blanked No. 4 seed University of Massachusetts Lowell 2-0 in the East Region final of the 2012 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship Friday night in front of 935 at Larkin Field.
The Penmen, who won their seventh straight, improve to 19-3 overall, while the River Hawks see their season come to a close at 15-6-1.
So. New Hampshire, which claimed its first regional title since 2002, advances to Sunday's national quarterfinals where it will host Mercyhurst University, a 2-1 winner over Gannon University in Friday's Atlantic Region final. Game time for that match is slated for 1:00 pm at Larkin Field.
Toufik (pictured) scored his first goal with 10:17 left before halftime. He took a pass from the right side from Jonathan Lupinelli and flicked it in with the heel of his foot for his eighth goal of the season. The Penmen took the 1-0 lead into the half.
So. New Hampshire appeared to double its lead a minute into the second half, as a rebound of an initial shot by Chris Tsonis was put in by Keegan Campbell, but Campbell was whistled for being offsides. The River Hawks picked up the pressure over the next several minutes, with Majid Saeed having the two best chances to put UMass Lowell on the board. In the 54th minute, Saeed sent a shot to the top left corner of the Penmen goal, but DiMaggio made a diving save on the bid. Just shy of the 65-minute mark, Saeed had a great look from 12 yards, but his attempt sailed over the crossbar.
Toufik made it 2-0 with just under 20 minutes remaining. Following a scramble off a restart, Jordan Branco raced to track down a loose ball and his attempt on target was knocked away by UMass Lowell goalie Chris Maierle. The rebound came out to Toufik, who knocked it home from 15 yards.
DiMaggio made the one save, while Maierle notched seven saves as the Penmen outshot the River Hawks 15-6.
So. New Hampshire is making its third Division II quarterfinal appearance in four seasons and will be looking to make its third NCAA semifinal appearance and first since 2002.
