THE BASICS:
Saturday, Nov. 13 - Harkness Field (New London, Conn.)
11:00 AM Salem State vs. Connecticut College
1:30 PM New York University vs. Saint Joseph's College (Maine)
Winners advance to play a second-round match on Sunday, Nov. 14 at 1:00 PM
Ticket Info: Ticket prices for each match will be $10 for adults and $3 for students.
Live Stream Broadcast: https://www.nsnsports.net/colleges/connecticut-college/
Live Stats: https://camelathletics.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary
PREVIEW:
STANDISH, Maine – Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Champion Saint Joseph's College (16-1-2, 12-0-0 GNAC) will face New York University (10-5-1, 4-3-0 UAA) at Harkness Field on the campus of Connecticut College in the first round of the NCAA DIII Men's Soccer Tournament at 1:30 PM on Saturday.
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Saint Joseph's, the top seed in the 2021 GNAC Tournament, defeated second-seeded Norwich University, 1-0 in double-overtime, in the conference championship game at the SJC Athletics Complex on Saturday, November 6th. With the triumph, the Monks claimed their fourth NCAA Tournament berth in the last five seasons and sixth overall.
New York University received an at-large bid into the tournament after posting a 10-5-1 record and 4-3-0 mark in the University Athletic Association (UAA). The Violets compiled a six-game win streak early in the season and defeated eventual UAA champion Washington-St. Louis, 2-1, on October 15th. NYU is in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time and first since the 2018 season.
NYU is one of five UAA teams to have earned a berth into the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Washington-St. Louis claimed the conference title with a 5-1-1 record while NYU, Emory, University of Chicago, and University of Rochester claimed at-large bids. The UAA rewards the regular-season champion with an automatic berth and does not hold a conventional postseason tournament.
WHAT WE KNOW
Saint Joseph's:
- The Monks received votes (38 points) in the most recent D3soccer.com national poll and have are ranked seventh in the NCAA DIII Region I poll
- St. Joe's has outscored opponents by a 45-12 margin this fall and ranks fifth nationally in winning percentage (.895), eighth in save percentage (.876), 19th in goals against average (0.61), and 26th in goal differential (33)
- The Monks have the longest current winning streak, 13 games, in NCAA DIII Men's Soccer; the team's 2021 Strength of Schedule (SOS) ranks 116th (.551)
New York University:
- The Violets are ranked 22nd in the latest D3soccer.com national poll and second in the most recent NCAA DIII Region IV poll
- NYU has outscored opponents by a 44-13 margin this season and rank 27th nationally in scoring offense (2.75), 33rd in goal differential (31), 36th in shutout percentage (.500), and 42nd in shots per game (17.38)
- The Violets have played the third most difficult schedule in the country this season (.659 SOS)
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Saint Joseph's:
- Graduate student defender Colin Grant (Harvard, Mass.) leads the team in goals (10), points (26), and game-winning goals (5) and was chosen as the 2021 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year
- Senior forward Kuma Onyejose (East Greenwich, R.I.) has netted seven goals with eight assists for 22 total points
- Senior midfielder Austin Ward (North Andover, Mass.) has produced 17 points with six goals and five assists in 16 games
- Freshman forward Gus Ford (Falmouth, Maine) has emerged as one of the Monks' top offensive threats with six goals and two assists for 14 points
- Graduate defender Noah Elmore (Berlin, Vt.) has contributed with three goals and six assists for 12 points – all three of his goals have counted as game-winners
New York University:
- Sophomore forward Arkan Tahsildaroglu (Istanbul, Turkey) is the Violets' top scorer with 11 goals, four assists, and 26 total points; he led the UAA in goals and points
- Senior forward Oliver Kleban (Denver, Colo.) has scored seven goals – including three game-winners - with two assists for 16 total points
- Freshman forward Nathan Bennett (Wilton, Conn.) has netted seven goals with 15 points
- Junior midfielder Alex Rovirosa-Illa (Llinars del Vallès, Barcelona) leads the team – and conference - with eight assists and has registered 14 total points
KEEPER COMPARISON:
Saint Joseph's:
Graduate student David Walbridge (Hampden, Mass.) has picked up right where All-American Blake Mullen '19 left off and is enjoying another fine season as a second-year starter in net for the Monks. Having allowed just 10 goals with 75 saves over 1,535 minutes of play, the 2021 GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year ranks 10th nationally in save percentage (.882) and 22nd in goals against average (0.58)
Among all active NCAA DIII Men's Soccer goalkeepers, Walbridge is ranked second in career save percentage (.870) and third in goals against average (0.46).
New York University:
Junior Luca Mancuso (Miami, Fla.) is 9-4-1 with a 0.76 goals against average and a .788 save percentage with 41 saves and 11 goals allowed in 1,308 minutes. He capped the regular season ranked second in the UAA in wins and fifth in goals against average, saves, and save percentage.
ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:
Saint Joseph's Head Coach Will Pike '11 is in his third season at the helm and currently owns a 32-3-5 (.792) overall record with a 21-0-2 (.913) mark in GNAC play as the SJC skipper. Including three seasons as the Monks' top assistant under former Head Coach Adrian Dubois, Pike has helped St. Joe's post an incredible 87-6-13 (.819) record overall with a 49-0-4 (.925) GNAC slate.
University of New York Head Coach Kim Wyant is in her seventh season as the Violets' skipper with a 53-45-11 (.486) overall record. Currently the only female head coach of an NCAA men's soccer team, Wyant served as an assistant coach of the NYU women's team for four years before taking over the men's program in 2015.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
These two teams will be meeting for the first time on Saturday.
