Searl's Strike Sends No. 12 Warriors to NE-10 Finals with 1-0 Blanking of Franklin Pierce
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Freshman forward Douglas Searl (Westford, Mass.) scored the most important goal of his young career – and third of the season – in the 19th minute, and that would be all the No. 12 Merrimack men's soccer team would need, as the top-seeded Warriors edged fifth-seeded Franklin Pierce, 1-0, in Northeast-10 Championship Semifinal action on Friday night at Martone-Mejail Field.
Setting a new program record for longest unbeaten streak in school history with the win (14 straight games), the Warriors (14-2-2) will now face Southern New Hampshire in the NE-10 Championship Finals on Sunday afternoon in North Andover. The Ravens (11-5-2), meanwhile, will now hope for an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament next week.
Searl's marker came in the 19th minute, as a long throw-in from sophomore Michael Buraczynski (Littleton, Mass.) rolled through the middle of the field. Searl eventually came up with the loose ball and embarked on a partial breakaway toward the net, where his shot beat FPU goalkeeper Jake Wright and rolled into the left corner of the twine to give the home side a lead it would never surrender.
Buraczynski, meanwhile, has become pivotal to the team's postseason success. After garnering three points on a goal and an assist in Merrimack's quarterfinal-round victory over AIC, the sophomore back – who did not play in any games last year – now has recorded at least one point in both NE-10 Championship rounds.
Both sides played a very even and very physical contest that saw a combined 33 whistles (17-16 Franklin Pierce) and five yellow cards (3-2 Franklin Pierce).
But in the end, as has been the case all season, first-year sophomore goalkeeper Jose Silva (Northborough, Mass.) was unbreakable between the pipes, as the Merrimack netminder posted three saves for his 10th shutout of the season. The NE-10 Goalkeeper of the Year continues to bolster one of the most impressive single-season resumes in program history, and will now hope to backstop the team to its first NE-10 Championship since 1997.
After an even first half that saw both teams attempt three shots (with two on net for the visitors and one for the Warriors – the only goal of the game), Franklin Pierce slowly began to tilt the momentum in its favor and came up with several near-misses on potential game-tying goals throughout the early portion of the second half.
Late in the game, the Ravens again nearly drew even before Silva came off line his to break up a potential service into the box. The ball bounced loose and seemed destined for a wide-open net, but it was cleared at the last second and – all the while – a foul against the visitors had already blown the play dead.
Franklin Pierce nearly hopped out to a 1-0 lead in the early minutes of the contest, as a rare mistake by Silva led to a misplayed save attempt and an open net for the Ravens to shoot on, but the errant shot sailed high over the net to keep it scoreless in the early goings.
That missed opportunity paid dividends for Merrimack, which will be appearing in its first NE-10 Championship Finals since the 2007 season, when it lost to Southern Connecticut State.
In total, Franklin Pierce outshot Merrimack by a 10-8 margin while the Warriors held a 5-2 lead in corner kicks.
Merrimack will next host Southern New Hampshire for a chance to claim the program's fourth NE-10 Championship on Sunday afternoon. First whistle against the Penmen is set for 1 p.m.
The contest will be broadcast via a free webcast online at www.northeast10.tv, and live stats and Twitter updates can be found online at www.merrimackathletics.com.
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