FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2013
Courtesy of SNHU Athletics Communications
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Northeast-10 Conference Men's Soccer Championship Most Valuable Player Pierre Omanga scored 1:53 before halftime as top-seeded Southern New Hampshire University edged Merrimack College, 1-0, in the Northeast-10 Championship final Sunday afternoon at Larkin Field.
The Penmen won their second straight Northeast-10 title and improved to 18-1 on the heels of their 18th straight victory, the longest win streak in the nation. Merrimack, which had been unbeaten in its last eight (6-0-2), is now 13-4-2.
The championship marks the second straight for So. New Hampshire and its fifth overall, joining crowns in 2000, 2002, 2008 and 2012. The Penmen's five Northeast-10 titles are second all-time behind Saint Anselm College's six, with So. New Hampshire only being a member of the Northeast-10 since 2000.
So. New Hampshire and Merrimack will now await Monday evening's NCAA Championship selection show (7:00 p.m.) to await their postseason fate. The Penmen, who were ranked No. 3 in the East Region in the most recent ranking, are all but assured of a berth, while the Warriors, who entered the week No. 8, sit squarely on the bubble, as six teams from the region are selected.
Omanga's goal, his 19th of the season, came with just under two minutes remaining before intermission. Jonathan Lupinelli sent in a low right-to-left cross that Omanga headed past Merrimack keeper Jose Silva.
Merrimack's best chance came 16 minutes into the contest as it nearly took a 1-0 lead. Ronald Ried collected a long free kick from midfield inside the box and took a shot, but So. New Hampshire keeper Dom DiMaggio made a diving stop at point blank range.
DiMaggio made the one save en route to his sixth shutout of the season and SNHU's fifth straight clean sheet (10th overall), while Silva, the Northeast-10 Goalkeeper of the Year, made five stops as the Penmen outshot the Warriors, 13-2, including 7-0 in the second half. The Penmen also had all 11 of the game's corner kicks.
Omanga, DiMaggio and Dominic Samuel were named to the All-Championship Team, along with Ried and Silva from Merrimack.
2013 Northeast-10 All-Championship Team
Alejandro Penzini, Adelphi
Terence Ciavarra, Franklin Pierce
Ronald Ried, Merrimack
Jose Silva, Merrimack
Dom DiMaggio, So. New Hampshire
Pierre Omanga, So. New Hampshire
Dominic Samuel, So. New Hampshire
Most Valuable Player - Pierre Omanga, So. New Hampshire
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Northeast-10 Championship Results Friday, November 8 - Semifinals | RECAP |
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