2012 MEN'S SOCCER SEASON IN REVIEW
After the program’s best season ever in 2011, the Emmanuel College men’s soccer team had high hopes for the 2012 campaign but due to several key injuries and a more competitive out of conference schedule, the Saints finished the year at a disappointing 4-12-2 with a 3-7 record in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.
BOSTON, Mass. – After the program's best season ever in 2011, the Emmanuel College men's soccer team had high hopes for the 2012 campaign but due to several key injuries and a more competitive out of conference schedule, the Saints finished the year at a disappointing 4-12-2 with a 3-7 record in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.
The squad opened the year strong with a 1-0 shutout victory at Daniel Webster College led by senior Kevin Shirley's (Madison, Conn.) second half score before settling for a 2-2 (2OT) draw against cross-town foes, UMass Boston.
On Sept. 11, the Saints would post their second shutout of the year in a 0-0 (2OT) tie against Newbury College in which sophomore goalkeeper Garrett Charette (West Springfield, Mass.) registered seven saves. The shutout was the sixth of the netminder's career, which ranks him third all-time in career shutouts.
Following a tough four-match stretch in which the Saints dropped all four decisions while being outscored 15-2 over that span, Emmanuel regrouped for a pair of late September GNAC victories to keep them in the hunt for a GNAC playoff berth. On Sept. 25, EC downed Rivier University, 4-1, behind a four-point performance on a goal and two assists by junior midfielder Danny Richman (Mefield, Mass.).
Next up, the Saints were able to post a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the defending GNAC Champions, Saint Joseph's College (ME). EC was able to erase a 1-0 and 2-1 deficit, scoring the game-winning in the 75th minute of action to down the Monks for the second consecutive year during regular season play. Shirley netted both equalizing goals while freshman midfielder Stefano Sainato (Albany, N.Y.) converted a breakaway for the game-winner.
The final victory of the season would come on October 13 which happened to be the squad's Senior Day game in which they honored Shirley and fellow seniors Jeremy Scanlon (Belmont, Mass.), Jorden LaPorte (Lisbon, Conn.), Andres Rocha (West Orange, N.J.) and Pawel Samolewicz (Chicopee, Mass.). The Saints were able to send their seniors out in style with a 3-0 victory over Anna Maria College as Scanlon and Samolewicz both tallied goals in their senior day win.
Shirley was named to the GNAC All-Conference Third Team after finishing the year with 16 points on seven goals and two assists. Over his four-year career, Shirley played in a total of 71 games while starting 66 contests, both of which rank first all-time in the program's history. The forward registered 62 points to rank second all-time in the Saints record book while his 10 assists and 26 goals also place him second all-time in both career categories.