MEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
Top Four Seeds All Advance to NE10 Semifinals
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Three of the four Northeast-10 Quarterfinal matchups were decided by a single goal, but all were won by the higher seed on Saturday. The lone multi-goal victory was by top seed Franklin Pierce who took down Southern Connecticut by a 5-0 margin in the final game of the evening.
AIC started the day with a tense 3-2 victory over New Haven, while Saint Rose needed almost two full overtime periods to take down No. 6 Le Moyne 3-2. No. 4 Southern New Hampshire then held off No. 5 Adelphi by a 1-0 margin in a hard-fought contest to round out the one-goal contests. Semifinal action gets underway on Wednesday as SNHU travels to Franklin Pierce and Saint Rose plays at AIC.
No. 3 Saint Rose 3, No. 6 Le Moyne 2 (2OT) – Saint Rose Recap – Box Score
ALBANY, N.Y. – Senior midfielder Oskar Aastroem scored the game-winner with less than three minutes left in the second overtime period to propel The College of Saint Rose to a thrilling 3-2 Northeast-10 Conference Championship Quarterfinal victory against visiting sixth seed Le Moyne.
The third seed Golden Knights (10-5-2) twice came back from one-goal deficits to record their third consecutive come-from-behind win and thus advance to a second straight NE10 Championship semifinal.
Le Moyne (10-7-0) appeared on its way to the victory with a 2-1 advantage in the final minute of regulation. Saint Rose proved resilient again though, as sophomore midfielder Josh Elliott forced overtime by finishing a Malmquist pass off the left side with only 24 seconds showing on the clock. Aastroem provided the heroics in double overtime for the Golden Knights.
No. 2 American International 3, No. 7 New Haven 2 – Box Score
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – American International made the most of its first-ever home playoff game, taking a 3-1 lead in the second half and then holding off a furious late rally by No. 7 New Haven to advance to the NE10 Semifinals.
The Yellow Jackets scored in the 38th minute and then after ceding a goal three minutes later took back a 2-1 advantage with goal just 15 seconds before halftime. They added to their lead less than ten minutes into the second half on Samir Regragui's second goal of the game. The Chargers pulled within one ten minutes later and got off two more shots in the final five minutes but couldn't convert.
AIC advances to the NE10 Semifinals for the second straight season thanks in part of Lucas Morales-Fernandez, who made five saves to secure the victory. Regragui finished with two goals an assist in the contest.
No. 4 Southern New Hampshire 1, No. 5 Adelphi 0 – Box Score
HOOKSETT, N.H. – It was a defensive battle but Southern New Hampshire managed to break through and score in the 72nd minute and hold on for a 1-0 victory in the NE10 Quarterfinals on Saturday evening.
The Penmen and Panthers played to a scoreless first half as the two teams only combined for seven shots overall and one corner kick. The pace picked up in the second and SNHU eventually pulled in front as Jannik Mohr scored at 71:30 for the 1-0 advantage off a header on a corner kick. Adelphi put the ball inside the six multiple times in the final minute but the Penmen defense held them off to secure the victory.
SNHU finished with a 14-9 advantage in shots and 7-4 edge in corner kicks while Jackson Rivers was impressive in the shutout by making seven saves.
No. 1 Franklin Pierce 5, No. 8 Southern Connecticut 0 - Box Score
RINDGE, N.H. - The Ravens grabbed a 1-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes and never looked back as they rolled to a 5-0 victory over the eighth seeded SCSU Owls on Saturday evening.
Franklin Pierce's Aaron Acevedo Artes opened up the scoring in the 16th minute and then FPU added another goal 20 minutes later for a 2-0 lead at the break. The Ravens scored twice early in the second half and then scored one more for the 5-0 final.
Antonio Santos Ferreira and Artes each finished with one goal and one assist in the contest while the Franklin Pierce held a dominant 15-2 edge in shots.
Saturday, November 6th
Quarterfinals – at Higher Seeds
Match 1: #1 Franklin Pierce 5, #8 Southern Connecticut 0
Match 2: #2 American International 3, #7 New Haven 2
Match 3: #3 Saint Rose 3, #6 Le Moyne 2 (2OT)
Match 4: #4 Southern New Hampshire 1, #5 Adelphi 0
Wednesday, November 10th
Semifinals - at Higher Seeds
Match 5: Southern New Hampshire at Franklin Pierce – 4 PM
Match 6: Saint Rose at American International – 6 PM
Saturday, November 13th
Championship – at Highest Seed
Match 7: Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner - at Highest Seed
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 14 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.
