CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Lesley University men's soccer team has secured the No. 3 seed in the upcoming New England Collegiate Conference tournament and will play host to No. 6 Newbury College on Wednesday at 8:00p in First Round action. This marks the seventh straight season the Lynx have qualified for the conference tournament.
Defending champion Elms College (8-7-3, 5-1-1, NECC) has earned the top seed in the tournament while Daniel Webster College (13-5-1, 5-2-0) will enter as they No. 2 seed. Both the Blazers and the Eagles have drawn a first round bye for their seeding.
Mitchell College (9-9-1, 4-3-0 NECC) earned the No. 4 seed and will play host to fifth-seeded Regis College (8-10-0, 4-3-0 NECC) in the other First Round matchup.
NECC MEN'S SOCCER FIRST ROUND
No. 6 Newbury College (5-12-1, 3-4-0 NECC) @ No. 3 Lesley University (9-5-4, 4-1-2 NECC)
Wednesday, November 5th - 8:00p
Edward Field at Buckingham, Browne, and Nichols – Cambridge, Mass.
Scouting Newbury
The Nighthawks ended their regular season winners of two straight, including a 1-0 win over second-seeded Daniel Webster College in their home finale. Seniors Rodriguez Pierre (Somerville, Mass.) and Milton Ricaurte (Barranquilla, Colombia) have paced the Newbury scoring attack as they each have six tallies on the season. Goalkeeper Antonios Tran (Chelsea, Mass.) has handled the bulk of the load for the Nighthawks in between the pipes, registering a 1.55 GAA and posting two shutouts on the year.
Scouting Lesley
The Lynx have been hot, going 7-1-1 in their last nine matches. Sophomore Erik Johansen (West Harrison, N.Y.) ranks second in the NECC with eight goals to power the Lesley offense while junior Ryan Richardson (Santa Barbara, Calif.) has five on the season. Lesley's backline, led by seniors Herbin Berreondo (Brighton, Mass.) and Ray Cohen (Coventry, Conn.), has been stingy as they have helped lead to back-to-back shutouts to close out the season. Junior keeper Chase Donley (Elizabethtown, Pa.) has been strong in goal for the Lynx as he has posted six shutouts on the season – third most in a season in program history - to go with his 1.23 GAA.
Previous Matchup
The Lynx topped the Nighthawks at Newbury 2-0 on October 14th in their only matchup of the regular season. Lesley received second half goals from junior Walker Panek (Carlsbad, Calif.) and sophomore Chris Anderson (Daly City, Calif.) in the win while Donley made a save in the shutout.
What's At Stake
The winner will travel to Nashua, N.H. for a matchup with No. 2 Daniel Webster College. The Lynx are trying to make an NECC Semifinals appearance for the seventh consecutive season. The Nighthawks are vying for their fourth trip to the NECC Semifinals.
2014 NECC Men's Soccer Championship Tournament
- Elms College(8-7-3, 5-1-1 NECC)
- Daniel Webster College (13-5-1, 5-2 NECC)
- Lesley University (9-5-4, 4-1-2 NECC)
- Mitchell College (9-9-1, 4-3 NECC)
- Regis College (8-10, 4-3 NECC)
- Newbury College (5-12-1, 3-4 NECC)
First Round
Wednesday, November 5
- #6 Newbury @ #3 Lesley - 8:00 PM
- #5 Regis @ #4 Mitchell - TBA
Semifinals
Friday, November 7
- Winner 4/5 game @ #1 Elms - TBA
- Winner 6/3 game @ #2 Daniel Webster - TBA
Championship Game
Sunday, November 9
- Lowest remaining seed @ highest remaining seed - 1:00 PM