NE10's Top Ranked Teams in Region Set to Clash in Championship Final

Posted: Nov 09, 2023

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

Postseason admission in all rounds of NE10 fall championships will be $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and children. Current NE10 students, with valid ID, will be admitted free of charge.

No. 1 Franklin Pierce 3, No. 5 Saint Anselm 2
Box Score

Recap Courtesy Franklin Pierce Athletics

Rindge, N.H., - The Franklin Pierce men's soccer team advanced to their third straight trip to the NE10 championship with a thrilling 3-2 win over in-state rival Saint Anselm on Thursday night.

In the 12th minute, after a trip in the box by Hawk goalkeeper David Hood, Aaron Sanchez Sanchez (A Coruña, Spain) took the shot from the penalty spot and flushed it bottom left to give the Ravens an early 1-0 lead. At the 40th minute mark, Alvaro Rey Mira (Cabanas, Spain) broke away and scored the second Raven goal. In the 71st minute, the Hawks got one back on a left footed shot from Caden Leader. Ten minutes later, Antonio Lampreia Lima (Lisbon, Portugal) scored extending the Raven lead back to two making it 3-1. In the 88th minute, Yves Maurer rocketed one past new Raven goaltender Jett Barbic (Willison, VT) to make it 3-2.

Diego Montoya Casillas (Cuernavaca, Mexico) made 2 saves on 3 shots before exiting the game and being replaced by Barbic who faced a shot and made no saves. Hood made 5 saves on 8 shots.

No. 6 Southern Connecticut State 0, No. 7 Southern New Hampshire University 1
Box Score

Recap Courtesy SNHU Athletics

New Have, Conn., - Sophomore Alejo Caceres (Cordoba, Argentina) scored in the 37th minute, as the seventh-seeded Southern New Hampshire University men's soccer team secured its third straight shutout with a 1-0 victory over sixth-seeded Southern Connecticut State University in an NE10 Championship semifinal Thursday night at Jess Down Field. SNHU advances to its ninth NE10 title match.

Southern Connecticut 'keeper Devin Juan stopped six of the seven shots he faced. The Penmen dominated in shots, 22-6, including 8-1 in shots on target.

Southern New Hampshire has now won three-in-a-row and extends its shutout streak to 341:33. SNHU, which is in the NE10 Championship for the 23rd consecutive season, improves to 26-10-6 (.683) all-time in the NE10 postseason, including 4-1 against Southern Connecticut. In the last meeting, the top-seeded Penmen recorded a 5-2 victory against the second-seeded Owls in the 2014 title match.

Southern New Hampshire will meet in-state rival Franklin Pierce University in the NE10 Championship match. The top-ranked and top-seeded Ravens (16-0-1) edged SNHU, 1-0, at home in the regular season Oct. 28. The Penmen are 7-1 all-time in the NE10 title match.

The Penmen are the second No. 7 seed ever to reach the NE10 finals. Le Moyne College also did it last season, falling to top-seeded Franklin Pierce, 2-0.

Neal's third consecutive clean sheet is his sixth of the year and ninth of his career.

SNHU is now 132-36-23 (.751) over its last 191 matches dating back to the beginning of the 2013 National Championship season.

Saturday, November 4^th
Quarterfinals – at Higher Seeds
Match 1: #8 AIC 0, #1 Franklin Pierce 0
Match 2: #7 SNHU 2, #2 Bentley 0
Match 3: #6 SCSU 1, #3 Adelphi 0 Match 4: #5 Saint Anselm 1, #4 Saint Rose 0

Thursday, November 9^th Semifinals - at Higher Seeds
Match 5: SNHU 1, Southern Connecticut State 0 Match 6: Saint Anselm 2, Franklin Pierce 3

Sunday, November 12^th Championship Match 7: No. 7 Southern New Hampshire at No. 1 Franklin Pierce, 4pm

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 12 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.