PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Sophomore Kevin Reilly scored in the 104th minute to lift top-seeded Johnson & Wales University to a 1-0 double-overtime victory over second-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine in the GNAC Men's Soccer Championship on Saturday afternoon, cementing the Wildcats' automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
The Monks' hopes for their fourth-consecutive conference title were dashed despite the fact that Saint Joseph's dominated possession and held sizeable advantages in shots (22-12) and corner kicks (11-1) in the setback.
SJC junior goalkeeper David Walbridge (Hampden, Mass.) made seven saves while JWU goalie Austin Scoggin (Cutchogue, N.Y.) registered nine stops in the title contest.
Save for a potential NCAA Tournament at-large berth, the loss signals the end of collegiate soccer for the Monks' seven seniors: Ryan Buonaiuto (Scituate, R.I.), Mitchell Duncan (Sanford, Maine), Cody Elliott (Gorham, Maine), Brennan Goodrich (Essex Junction, Vt.), Noah Robinson (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.), Jackson Taylor (Gorham, Maine), and Keenan Welzel (Brunswick, Maine).
During what is arguably the most impressive four-year span posted by a program in SJC Athletics history, this senior class played a hand in 87 games with an incredible 71-5-11 (.816) overall record, including an undefeated 37-0-4 (.902) mark in conference play, with three GNAC Championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Over the last four seasons, the Monks have tallied 68 shutouts and outscored their opponents by a 241-28 margin.