Late Goal Dooms #10 Men's Soccer in 2-1 Loss to Adelphi in NE-10 Semifinals
Links: Highlights | Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The 10th-ranked and second-seeded Merrimack College men's soccer team saw its run in the 2015 Northeast-10 Conference Championship come to a close with a 2-1 loss on Friday night to third-seeded Adelphi University in the semifinal round.
The Basics
Score: Adelphi 2, #10 Merrimack 1
Records: Merrimack (14-3-2)| Adelphi (13-3-3)
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: #1 Southern N.H. def. #4 Bentley, 2-0
Match 6: #3 Adelphi def. #2 Merrimack, 2-1
How It Happened
The Warriors controlled possession for the majority of the first stanza, outshooting the Panthers by seven at the conclusion of the opening 45 minutes.
Merrimack took the nights first four shots over the opening 20 minutes. Adelphi's first attempt came from NE-10 Rookie of the Year James Thristino, which was blocked in the 21st minute.
Six minutes later, the visitors opened the scoring. Federico De Oliveira made a strong run into the box, and was taken down, resulting in a penalty kick. Graduate student Alejandro Penzini stepped up and scored into the bottom-right netting to make it a 1-0 contest.
After the PK, the Navy and Gold attempted the final four shots of the half. Merrimack's best chance came in the 44th minute, when freshman Todd Righini (Salem, N.H.) found himself with space inside the 18-yard box, but his attempt went just wide. The visitors took their one-nil lead into the halftime break.
The Navy and Gold came out strong in the second stanza, controlling play from the get-go. The Warriors attempted six of the first eight shots of the half, which included two saves from Powell. Adelphi's keeper made a reactionary shot off a free kick from junior Joseph Briers (Nottingham, England) when Briers' delivery deflected off a Panthers defender and towards the net in the 62nd minute.
It took until the 78th minute, but the Navy and Gold scored an equalizer. Adelphi committed a handball in the danger area, resulting in a penalty kick for the Warriors. Briers struck the ball low and hard to left side as Powell guessed correctly, but the ball deflected off his hands and into the net.
The lead did not last long. Just seven minutes later, Thristino forced a turnover in Merrimack's defensive zone with sophomore goalkeeper Lucas Rezende (Oceanside, Calif.) off his line, and scored what turned out to be the game-winner.
The Warriors received one final chance in the 90th minute, after the Panthers committed a foul just outside the box. Briers attempted to curl a shot into the top-right netting, but the ball went wide of the post.
Inside The Numbers
- With his second-half tally, Briers scored his sixth goal and the season and fifth off of a penalty kick. He is a perfect 5-for-5 from the penalty dot this season
- The Navy and Gold outshot the Panthers by 14, 20-6. Rezende made one stop on the night while Powell finished with four saves as he made just his third start of the season
- Sophomore Juan Meza (Cali, Colombia) led Merrimack with four shots, as six players took at least two for the Warriors. Briers, Righini and senior forward Augusto Silva (Hudson, Mass.) each finished with three attempts on the night
Up Next
The Warriors will await their fate in the NCAA Tournament. The Division II Men's Soccer Selection Show can be viewed on Monday night at 6 p.m. Merrimack is looking for its third-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.
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