STANDISH, ME – Second-seeded Saint Joseph's College (12-5, 7-3 GNAC) will host #6 Emmanuel College (11-5-4, 5-5 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer Tournament Semifinal on Thursday at Westerlea Way Field. Kickoff is slated for 2:00 PM.
How they got here:
Saint Joseph's handled #7 Suffolk University in the opening round of the GNAC tourney, defeating the Rams by a 3-0 margin at home on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore forward Zach Johnson (Westbrook, Maine) netted a pair of goals in the triumph, including the game-winner in the fifth minute, and Mike Sanfilippo '12 (Walpole, Mass.) also scored for the Monks. SJC netminder Kenny Grade '14 (Hampton, N.H./St. Thomas Aquinas) made six saves in the quarterfinal win.
Emmanuel notched the program's first-ever GNAC tourney when the Saints upset #3 Emerson College by a 3-2 score in a quarterfinal match on Sunday afternoon. Junior Jeremy Scanlon (Belmont, Mass.) scored a pair of goals against the Lions and Kevin Esposito '14 (Gales Ferry, Conn.) tallied the game-winner in the 82nd minute. Saints keeper Garrett Charette '15 (West Springfield, Mass.) notched two saves to help his team advance to the next round of the conference tournament.
The last time we met:
Emmanuel defeated St. Joe's, 1-0 in overtime, in Boston on October 1st and was the only GNAC side the Monks failed to score against this season. Junior forward Kevin Shirley (Madison, Conn.) recorded the clincher in the 98th minute and two Saints goalies – Wilhelm Du Bois '12 (Key Biscayne, Fla.) and Charette – combined to make seven saves on the afternoon.
Grade made four saves for St. Joe's in a losing effort.
What have you done lately?
The Monks have lost just two games – a 3-0 setback at the hands of Endicott College and a 3-2 loss to Lasell College – since falling to Emmanuel on the first day of October. Saint Joseph's has won six of its last seven matches with four victories coming by way of a shutout.
The Saints have played equally well over the same stretch with just a pair of defeats – a 3-0 loss to top-seeded Albertus Magnus College and a 3-1 setback to Norwich University – since the beginning of October. Emmanuel has won two in a row and capped the regular season with a 3-0 win over Anna Maria College.
Recent history:
The 1-0 OT win over the Monks this season was the Saints' first victory against St. Joe's in five meetings between the conference counterparts. Previously, Saint Joseph's held a 3-0-1 record against Emmanuel as the Royal Blue began the series with three straight wins over three seasons before dueling to a 0-0 deadlock last fall.
Interestingly, the Monks have gone over 236 minutes without scoring against the Saints. The last SJC goal versus Emmanuel was scored by Doug MacCallum '10 in the 62nd minute of a 1-0 victory on October 24th, 2009.
On the flip side, Emmanuel has tallied just one goal in the team's last 309 minutes versus Saint Joseph's.
Recipe for success:
A revamped defense has helped the Monks turn a corner this season, as the side ranks second in the GNAC in goals against average (0.99), goals allowed (17) and save percentage (.813). The SJC backline has been difficult to penetrate, as opponents average just 4.35 shots per game, the second-lowest mark in the conference.
The Saints' success has also largely been the result of a stout defensive effort. With 11 shutouts this fall, Emmanuel ranks first in the nation in goose-egg efforts despite featuring four different keepers in net. The Saints rank third in the conference in goals against average (1.00) and goals allowed (21) this season.
Attitude reflects leadership:
Head Coach Steve Babineau (32-24-3, .571), now in his third season at Saint Joseph's, has guided the Royal Blue to the postseason in each of his three years including a GNAC Championship and the team's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009.
Emmanuel skipper Colin Goin is also in his third season and previously served as a Saints assistant for three years. Emmanuel, which began varsity competition in 2002, is in the midst of its fifth GNAC tourney experience with the #6 seed being the highest earned by the program. Also, the side's 11 victories this fall rank as a team record.
Who to watch:
Johnson, a recent GNAC Player of the Week honoree, is having one of the finest offensive seasons ever posted by an SJC player. The sophomore transfer from Lasell College leads the Monks in goals (15), points (33), game-winning goals (7), shots (64) and shots on goal (36). His up-top counterpart, Ross Suleski '14 (Amesbury, Mass./St. Thomas Aquinas) leads the team in assists (8) and has netted a pair of goals while Sanfilippo ranks second on the side in goals (6), assists (4) and points (16) this fall.
In what is likely to be a defensive battle, midfield play will certainly play a major role in the outcome and the Monks feature one of the most athletic and heady corps of midfielders in the conference. Sanfilippo and Teddy Palmer '13 (Scarborough, Maine) – both team captains – and first-years Jason Wade (South Hampton, N.H.) and Jose Ossers (Bradford, Mass.) roam the heart of the field for Saint Joseph's and each player brings a different skillset to the table.
Alan Parrelli '14 (Reading, Mass.) paces the Saints with a team-record 11 goals this fall and has contributed 26 points overall. James Carroll '15 (Guilford, Conn.) has contributed five goals and six assists for 16 total points while Shirley and Scanlon have both netted 11 points this season.
