FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2013
Marks second straight season Penmen,
Warriors to square off for conference title
In semifinal action of the 2013 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Soccer Championship on Friday night, top-seeded Southern New Hampshire University earned the right to host Sunday's title game following a 1-0 victory over defeated fourth-seeded Adelphi University.
Meanwhile just 35 minutes down Interstate 93, second-seeded Merrimack College played to a scoreless draw against sixth-seeded Franklin Pierce University before advancing on penalty kicks, 4-2, laying claim to its spot in Sunday's Northeast-10 Championship contest.
So. New Hampshire and Merrimack will square off for the conference crown for the second time in as many years. The game, which gets underway at 1:00 p.m. at Larkin Field in Manchester, N.H., can also be viewed live online at no cost at northeast10.tv.
#1 So. New Hampshire 1, #4 Adelphi 0 | BOX
MANCHESTER, N.H. – So. New Hampshire senior Pierre Omanga, who earlier Friday was named the Northeast-10 Player of the Year, recorded his 18th goal of the season and extended his scoring streak to seven games. Junior Kenny Doublette played a long right-to-left cross into the box for Omanga. With Adelphi keeper Ahmad Salamah overplaying Omanga, Omanga deflected the ball off the side of his foot and caught Salamah going the wrong way as the ball found the back of the net.
Senior keeper Dom DiMaggio made one save en route to his fifth shutout of the season, while Salamah recorded seven saves. So. New Hampshire, which outshot Adelphi, 25-4, also had all six of the game's corner kicks.
On Sunday, the Penmen will be seeking their second straight Northeast-10 Championship and fifth in program history, while appearing in their third straight Northeast-10 title game.
#2 Merrimack 0, #6 Franklin Pierce 0 (MER advances on PKs, 4-2)| BOX
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – After 110 minutes of scoreless play, host Merrimack and Franklin Pierce went to a shootout at Martone-Mejail Field on Friday night.
Merrimack senior Francis Mulkern attempted the first penalty kick, but his shot was saved by Ravens goalkeeper Aidan Abolfazli. Pedro Espindola then put Franklin Pierce on the board first, after his penalty shot was good. The Navy and Gold tied the Ravens, 1-1, after sophomore Augusto Silva converted.
After Northeast-10 Goalkeeper of the Year Jose Silva saved the next Franklin Pierce penalty kick for Merrimack, Leon Garcia converted to extend the Warriors lead to 2-1. Franklin Pierce then tied it again after Chris Stoker was successful, but Merrimack freshman Oscar Zepeda Cagide broke the tie to put the Warriors up, 3-2.
After Jefferson Rojas' shot was saved by Silva, Ronald Ried secured the game after finding the back of the net.
Silva finished the contest with seven saves for the Warriors, while Abolfazli stopped 10 shots.
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.
Tuesday, November 5 – Quarterfinals | RECAP
Match 1: #1 So. New Hampshire 5, #8 Saint Rose 0 | BOX
Match 2: #4 Adelphi 3, #5 Le Moyne 0 | BOX
Match 3: #2 Merrimack 2, #7 Bentley 0 | BOX
Match 4: #3 Southern Connecticut 2, #6 Franklin Pierce 1* | BOX
Friday, November 8 - Semifinals
Match 5: #1 Southern New Hampshire 1, #4 Adelphi 0 | BOX
Match 6: #2 Merrimack 0, #6 Franklin Pierce 0 (2OT - MER advances on PKs) | BOX
Sunday, November 10 - Championship
Match 7: #2 Merrimack at #1 Southern New Hampshire – 1:00 p.m.
* Franklin Pierce advances to semifinals
– #NE10 –
Information provided by So. New Hampshire, Merrimack Athletics Communications
