STANDISH, Maine – Top-seeded Saint Joseph's College (16-0-1, 9-0-1 GNAC) will host #5 Regis (Mass.) (10-7-1, 6-4-1 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer Tournament Semifinal game today at the SJC Athletics Complex at 2:30 PM.

BRACKETOLOGY:

Sunday, October 29 - Quarterfinals
Game 1: #1 Saint Joseph's of Maine 1, #8 Suffolk 0
Game 2: #5 Regis (Mass.) 3, #4 Mount Ida 1
Game 3: #3 Norwich 2, #6 Emmanuel 0
Game 4: #2 Johnson & Wales 1, #7 Albertus Magnus 0

Wednesday, November 1 - Semifinals
Game 5: #5 Regis (Mass.) at #1 Saint Joseph's of Maine – 2:30 PM
Game 6: #3 Norwich at #2 Johnson & Wales - 4:00 PM

Saturday, November 4 - Final
Game 7: Highest remaining seed

SEASON AT A GLANCE

Saint Joseph's:

• Through 17 contests, the Monks have outscored their foes by an impressive 58-0 margin with 1,550 minutes of shutout play in goal. Saint Joseph's currently ranks as the NCAA DIII leader in save percentage (1.000), goals against average (0.00), and shutout percentage (1.000).
• The Monks also rank second nationally in shots per game (23.47) and shots on goal per game (12.06), third in won-lost-tied percentage (.971), fifth in assists per game (3.18), sixth in points per game (10.00) and total assists (54), eighth in scoring offense (3.41), and 10th in total goals (58).
• With 17-consecutive shutouts, Saint Joseph's has tied Drew University for the longest shutout streak in NCAA DIII Men's Soccer history. The Rangers posted a 17-game blank-sheet streak during the 2003 campaign and finished as the NCAA DIII Runner-up that fall.
• In 17 games this fall, Saint Joseph's has established new program single-season records for goals (58), assists (53), points (169), longest winning streak (12), and consecutive shutouts (17). The Monks' 12-game winning streak is the fourth longest current run in NCAA DIII Men's Soccer.

Regis (Mass.):

• Regis (Mass.) has been a much better team on the road this fall, with an 8-1 record when traveling and a 2-6-1 mark at home – the Pride's only road setback (4-3 loss) came at the hands of Norwich University – the #3 seed in the GNAC tourney – on October 7th
• The Pride enter today's matchup riding a four-game unbeaten streak, with wins over Rivier, Emerson, and Mount Ida and a tie versus Emmanuel
• Regis (Mass.) leads the GNAC in shot percentage (.149), ranks third in goals (39) and assists (29), fourth in SOG percentage (.517), fifth in shots on goal (135), and sixth in shots per game (14.5) and corner kicks (86)

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Saint Joseph's:

• Junior forward Brett Mattos (Mahopac, N.Y.) is in the midst of the best offensive season in SJC men's soccer history with Monks' single-season records in goals (18) and points (45) in just 16 games. The four-time GNAC Player of the Week honoree leads the conference in goals, points, PK goals (3), and game-winners (6)
• Sophomore midfielder Mitchell Duncan (Sanford, Maine) is enjoying a breakout year with seven goals – including three winners – and five assists for 19 points
• Senior forward Trevor Lopes (Cumberland, R.I.) complements Mattos perfectly up top and has netted eight goals (three clinchers) with two assists for 18 total points
• Sophomore Cody Elliott (Gorham, Maine) has emerged as one of the top playmakers in the conference with a GNAC-leading 12 assists (SJC record) and 13 total points

Regis (Mass.)

• Junior Derek Triana (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) leads the Pride offense with 16 goals and four assists for 36 total points and has netted four game-clinchers this season
• Junior midfielder Litchie Barbosa (Boston, Mass.) has two goals and 12 assists for 16 points over 18 games
• Freshman forward Fabyanno Furbino (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) is having a fine rookie campaign with seven goals and two assists for 16 total points

KEEPER COMPARISON

Saint Joseph's: Junior Blake Mullen (Manchester, Conn.) has turned away all 41 shots he has faced this fall with 10 shutouts to his credit. The reigning GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year leads the nation in goals against average (0.00) and save percentage (1.000) and has not given up a goal to a GNAC opponent since October 17th, 2015.

Among all active NCAA DIII keepers, Mullen is the career leader in goals against average (0.31), ranks second in save percentage (.895), and third in shutouts (26).

Regis (Mass.): Junior Jesse Bonilla (Ramona, Calif.) has logged all but 55 minutes in goal for the Pride this fall and sports a 1.72 goals against average with an .805 save percentage over 18 starts. The junior college transfer has allowed 31 goals and ranks second in the GNAC with 128 saves.

ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:

Saint Joseph's Head Coach Adrian Dubois, now in his fourth season at the helm, is 47-24-8 (.662) overall with a 28-9-2 (.757) record in conference play on the college sideline. The Monks have shown dramatic improvement since his first year (2014), when an injury-maligned club went 5-15 overall (3-6 GNAC). In his second season, St. Joe's went 11-7-1, and last fall, the Monks went 15-2-6 last fall en route to clinching a GNAC Championship and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory – a PK triumph over pod-host Babson College. Dubois earned 2016 GNAC Coach of the Year honors for his efforts.

Regis (Mass.) Head Coach Renato Capobianco is in his seventh season at the helm for the Pride. Taking over a team that won only eight games in its first three seasons, he has steadily improved the quality of the program and in 2015 coached the Pride to the first winning season in program history. His Regis teams also have posted winning conference records in four of his six seasons including a record five league wins in 2017, a year that also saw him named NECC Coach of the Year

THE LAST TIME WE MET:

Saint Joseph's blanked Regis (Mass.), 3-0, in Weston, Mass. on October 4th.

After a scoreless first half, Saint Joseph's finally found the board 4:38 into the second frame when Mattos knocked in a header off a well-placed corner kick by sophomore Elliott.

The 1-0 edge remained until the 76th minute, when Mattos dribbled towards the goal from the left, duked a defender, and delivered a shot past Bonilla for his second strike of the afternoon. The Monks put the game out of reach three minutes later when junior Jesse Ramirez (Dumont, N.J.) notched his third tally of the year off a left-to-right cross from freshman Colin Grant (Harvard, Mass.).

Saint Joseph's held sizeable leads in shots (21-5), shots on goal (11-1), and corners (11-1) in the victory.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

The October 4th meeting between Saint Joseph's and Regis (Mass.) counted as the first contest between the institutions' men's soccer programs. The Pride joined the GNAC this fall after playing in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) since 2011.

POSTSEASON HISTORY:

The Monks have advanced to the GNAC Tournament every season since the College joined the conference in the fall of 2007. St. Joe's is 12-7 in GNAC postseason play with GNAC Championships in 2009, 2011, and 2016. 

In eight seasons as a member of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC), the Pride advanced to the postseason on five occasions with four trips to the semifinals and an appearance in the 2016 conference championship. Regis (Mass.) posted a 4-5 playoff record while participating in the NECC.

The Pride's quarterfinal win over Mount Ida was the institution's first GNAC postseason victory.

#GOMONKS

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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.