Alleyne's Game-Winner Sends #14 Men's Soccer to NCAA Second Round, 2-1, over Le Moyne

11/12/2015 12:00:00 AM

Links: Box Score | Rezende/Alleyne Interview | Martone Interview

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Junior forward Alexander Alleyne (Swampscott, Mass.) scored on a partial breakaway in the first half and sophomore goalkeeper Lucas Rezende (Weymouth, Mass.) made four saves as the No. 14 and fourth-seeded Merrimack College men's soccer team defeated fifth-seeded Le Moyne, 2-1, in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday evening from Larkin Field. 

The Basics
Score: Merrimack 2, Le Moyne 1
Records: Merrimack (15-3-2) | Le Moyne (12-6-1)
Location: Larkin Field | Manchester, N.H.

NCAA East Region:
Top seeds Southern New Hampshire and LIU Post host opening round play in the East Region, with the finalists facing each other next week in the East Region Final.

Thursday, November 12 – First Round
Match 1: #4 Merrimack def. #5 Le Moyne, 2-1
Match 2: #6 Wilmington (DE) def. #3 Adelphi, 4-3 (OT)

Saturday, November 14 – Second Round
#4 Merrimack vs. #1 Southern New Hampshire – 1:00 p.m.
#6 Wilmington (DE) vs. #2 LIU Post – 1:00 p.m.

How It Happened
After not scoring in the regular-season matchup between the Dolphins and Warriors, Merrimack did not take long to open the scoring on Thursday night. On their second corner kick over the first six minutes, junior Joseph Briers (Nottingham, England) delivered a ball to the far post where Jaime Cortes Torres (Seville, Spain) one-touched the ball to sophomore Mattia Lanzi (Viterbo, Italy). Lanzi, who had his back to net, sent a bicycle kick into the bottom-right netting to open the scoring.

Eleven minutes later, the Navy and Gold doubled up on the Dolphins. Alleyne received a ball from Julio Leon Garcia (Caracas, Venezuela) and used his speed to get behind the defense, streaking down left side. He sent a left-footed shot across the goalmouth and in for his third goal of the season.

Rezende picked up consecutive saves in the 24^th minute, finishing the half with three stops. The Dolphins cut into the Warriors' lead in the 42^nd minute, as Nick Rauscher took a shot from just outside the six-yard box and buried it into the back of the net. The Warriors took the 2-1 lead into halftime

Four minutes into the second half, Ben Beaury, Le Moyne's goalkeeper, prevented Merrimack from going up by two again. Cortes Torres delivered a ball into the middle of the danger area, where senior Augusto Silva (Hudson, Mass.) put a diving header on net. Beaury dove to his left, punching the ball off the post and keeping it out of the net.

The Dolphins started to gain momentum midway through the second half, with their best chance coming in the 69^th minute. Filtch sent a corner to the back post, where Jack Ball put a header on net, but Rezende leaped and punched it away.

With the win, Merrimack picked up its fourth-ever victory in NCAA Tournament play. Playing in their third trip to the Big Dance over the last four years, the Warriors are now 3-0 all-time in the opening round. The Navy and Gold also improved to 3-1 against NE-10 competition in the NCAA Tournament. 

Inside The Numbers

• Lanzi scored for the second time this season at Larkin Field, as he had the game-winning goal in the Warriors' 2-0 victory over Southern New Hampshire. Both of his goals in Manchester have come off of Merrimack corner kicks
• Alleyne scored for the third time this season, snapping a seven-game scoreless drought. His nine points on the season are one shy of tying the 10 he accumulated as a sophomore in 2014
• With the secondary assist on Merrimack's opening goal, Briers now has points in four consecutive contests. Cortes Torres' assist was his first since he saw his five-game point streak snapped in the NE-10 Quarterfinals against Saint Rose
• Rezende ended the game with four saves, including three in the first half. He picked up his 12^th win of the season and his second of the postseason

Up Next
The Warriors advance to the second round, where they will take on top-seeded Southern New Hampshire on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. The Navy and Gold handed the Penmen their lone loss of the year, 2-0, in a regular-season contest at Larkin Field.

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