Briers' Three Points Sends #10 Men's Soccer into NE-10 Semifinals; Warriors Defeat Saint Rose, 2-0
Links: Highlights | Box Score | Joseph Briers Interview
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Behind a three-point night from junior captain Joseph Briers (Nottingham, England), the No. 10 and second-seeded Merrimack College men's soccer team defeated seventh-seeded Saint Rose, 2-0, on Tuesday night from Martone-Mejail Field in the Northeast-10 Conference Quarterfinals. With the win, the Navy and Gold advance to the semifinals where they will meet third-seeded Adelphi.
The Basics
Score: #2 Merrimack 2, #7 Saint Rose 0
Records: Merrimack (14-2-2)| Saint Rose (8-8-1)
Location: Martone-Mejail Field | North Andover, Mass.
2015 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Soccer Championship Schedule:
Tuesday, November 3 – Quarterfinals
Match 1: #1 Southern NH def. #8 St. Michael's, 3-0
Match 2: #2 Merrimack def. #7 Saint Rose, 2-0
Match 3: #3 Adelphi def. #6 Le Moyne, 2-0
Match 4: #4 Bentley def. #5 Southern CT, 3-2
Friday, November 6 - Semifinals (at high seeds)
Match 5: #4 Bentley vs. #1 Southern N.H. - TBD
Match 6: #3 Adelphi vs. #2 Merrimack – 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 8 - Championship (at high seed)
Match 7: Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner – 1:00 p.m.
How It Happened
An uneventful opening stanza turned into an exciting finish as the Warriors played in the postseason for a fifth straight season as a program.
Saint Rose goalkeeper Colan Balkwell made two saves over the first 20 minutes of the second half, one on Briers and the other on senior forward Augusto Silva (Hudson, Mass.). In the 67th minute and after junior Connor O'Brien (Sandwich, Mass.) drew a foul right outside the box, Briers hammered a free kick into the top netting to open up the scoring.
Less than two minutes later, the Warriors picked up some insurance. Winning another free kick in a dangerous position, Briers delivered a lofting ball to the far post, where senior Douglas Searl (Westford, Mass.) flicked it back towards the middle of the box. Silva was all alone, striking a one-timer into the back of the net for his 12th goal of the year.
After four first-half shots, the Warriors backline limited the visitors to just one shot in the second half, which came with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game. Merrimack pulled away by outshooting Saint Rose, 9-1, over the final 45 minutes of action.
To begin the game, the Navy and Gold got a chance in the third minute, when Briers played a free kick to junior forward Jaime Cortes Torres (Seville, Spain) who headed the delivery wide of the post.
Sophomore goalkeeper Lucas Rezende (Weymouth, Mass.) started in net for the first time over the last two games, making his first save in the 10th minute. Cortes Torres had another 18th-minute chance that was stopped by Golden Knights keeper Colan Balkwell.
After playing in its first-ever postseason game against Saint Rose, the Warriors welcome Adelphi to North Andover on Friday night, which will also mark the first playoff contest between the two programs.
Inside The Numbers
- Briers leads the way: The junior captain picked up his second multi-point night of the year while he also registered his third assist of the season, a new career high. Briers now has personal bests this season in goals (5), assists (3) and points (13). He was also pivotal in containing Romaine Williamson, the Golden Knights' leading scorer, to only one shot on the night
- Although he only recorded one save, Rezende played well in his return to the lineup, controlling multiple set-piece attempts played into the box by the Golden Knights
- Despite seeing his five-game point streak come to a close, Cortes Torres led Merrimack with six shots, four of which were on goal
- With his 12th goal of the season, Silva moved into first place in the conference in goals with 12. The senior needs two more points to become the 13th player in program history to record at least 30 points in a single season
Up Next
The Warriors advance to the NE-10 Semifinals for the fourth straight season and will host third-seeded Adelphi on Friday night at 7 p.m. from Martone-Mejail Field. The Navy and Gold and the Panthers played to a 1-1 draw in the regular season.
--
For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.
