Two Nail-Biting Victories lift Pride and Raiders to GNAC Quarterfinals
WINTHROP, Mass. - No. 7 seed Rivier and No. 9 Regis collected victories in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Play-In Round, which both match-ups needed extra time to do so to advance to the GNAC Quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 2.
The Pride of Regis College and the No. 8 Norwich Cadets was scoreless for the full two halves until Regis came away with the victory from a corner-kick header that was deflected off a Cadet defender, giving the Pride the upset victory to advance. River and No. 10 Lasell were scoreless for the first half until the Raiders got on the board in the second half, followed by a Laser goal to force extra time. After both teams did not score in both overtime periods, Rivier went five-for-five in a penalty kick shootout, advancing themselves to the next round.
The eight team field is now set as these eight GNAC teams will compete in their respective quarterfinals matchups for a spot in the semifinals, which takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Top seed University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) will be hosting Regis in West Hartford, Conn. at a 1pm start while two seed Albertus Magnus has a 1 pm tilt as well with Rivier. Third seed Johnson & Wales will host no. 6 Anna Maria at 2:30 pm while No. 4 Emmanuel hosts No. 5 Saint Joseph's (Maine) at noon.
#7 Rivier def. #10 Lasell, 1-1 [PK - RIV]
Full Recap Courtesy of the Rivier Athletic Communications Department
NASHUA, N.H. – With a chance to seal the game, sophomore Logan Rockwood slotted in the Raiders' fifth penalty try to lift the seventh-seeded Rivier men's soccer team over No. 10 seed Lasell in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Play-In game on Thursday night at Merrill Field.
The victory marked Rivier's first playoff win since Oct. 28, 2001, ultimately snapping an eight-game losing streak in the GNAC Tournament.
After a level first half, Rivier first-year Alejandro Quezada scored his second goal in as many games when he fired a shot that found the top left corner of the net to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead.
The Lasers used a counterattack led by Mpumelelo Maphumulo who won the ball between two Raider defenders and played a pass through to an unmarked Dante Mills who placed his shot into the top right corner.
The score would remain tied after 90 minutes of action to force sudden death overtime. Lasell outshot the Raiders in both OT periods, 5-1, but neither team secured a golden goal in the 20 minutes of extra time, sending the game to penalties.
Arthur Dias, Thomas Hennessey, Jason Harlow, and Alejandro Quezada all scored after their Laser counterparts were successful on their tries. Sophomore keeper Logan Clough stopped Lasell's fifth shooter, diving to his right to stop a low shot, giving Rockwood the chance to clinch the victory and send the Raiders to the next round.
#9 Regis def. #8 Norwich, 1-0 (OT)
Full Recap Courtesy of the Regis Athletic Communications Department
NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Regis College defense was able to hold off Norwich University through regulation, and then the Pride successfully executed a set play in overtime to defeat the Cadets, 1-0, Thursday afternoon at Sabine Field to advance into the quarterfinals of the 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer Tournament.
As the clock moved under three-and-a-half minutes in the first overtime period, Regis drew its second corner kick of the extra session. Haroun Mafhoum's (Bellingham, Mass.) entry from the far corner reached Joey Davila (Bristol, Conn.), whose header was deflected into the net by a Cadet defender for the game-winning tally.
Norwich (6-8-3) controlled play for most of the first half, but Regis did have one good scoring chance in the 38th minute, as Dane Peterson (San Diego, Calif.) found himself rushing up the right side of the field with the ball before his shot was turned away by Cadet goalie Nicholas Lanza. The Cadets quickly went on the counterattack, but Regis keeper Chris Alcon (Weston, Fla.) sent a shot by Kam Jorgenson away to keep the match scoreless heading into halftime.
The Cadets continued to control the action in the second half as they took 10 shots and created seven corner kick opportunities. However, only one of those shots was on target, and Alcon was able to corral it to maintain the scoreless tie.
Alcon earned his second shutout of the season, finishing with four saves. Lanza was credited with the one save he made in the first half as Norwich ended up with 20 total shots, led by Ben Rubinstein with five shots.