Men's Soccer Ready to Take on #2 Saint Joseph's Maine in GNAC Quarters

STANDISH, Maine – Second-seeded Saint Joseph's College (14-1-3, 9-0-2 GNAC) will host #7 Emmanuel College (8-8-1, 5-5-1 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer Tournament Quarterfinal game at the SJC Athletics Complex on Saturday at 3:00 PM.

OVERVIEW:

Friday's winner advances to the semifinal round of the GNAC tourney and will face the victor of the #3 Norwich University / #6 Colby-Sawyer College quarterfinal on Wednesday, November 6^th.

The other quarterfinal contests within the conference bracket consist of #1 Johnson & Wales University versus #8 Lasell University and #4 University of Saint Joseph (CT) versus #5 Albertus Magnus College. 

The winner of the GNAC Championship game, which will be played on Saturday, November 9th, earns an automatic berth into the 2018 NCAA DIII Men's Soccer Championship, which begins on Saturday, Nov. 16th.

SEASON AT A GLANCE:

Saint Joseph's:

• The Monks had their 65-game (59-0-6) regular-season undefeated streak come to an end earlier this season at the hands of a 1-0 loss to WPI on October 21 but it was the only blemish of the year.
• Through 18 games, Saint Joseph's has outscored opponents by a collective 48-7 score with a 388-107 shots advantage
• Since the SJC Athletic Complex opened, the Monks have posted an incredible 28-1-2 record at home over the last three seasons.
• Saint Joseph's currently ranks as the NCAA DIII Men's Soccer leader in shutout percentage percentage (.778), with a nation-best 14 shutouts on the year.

Emmanuel:

• The Saints enter the GNAC Tournament ranked fourth in the conference in shot percentage (.159).
• Emmanuel averages 1.82 goals per game on 11.5 shots per contest with a 1.73 team goals-against average
• The Saints kick off the tourney coming off a 2-1 loss against Colby-Sawyer that dropped them from the #5 seed down to the #7 seed in the final standings.
• Emmanuel is 5-5-0 on the road this fall including a 4-2-0 mark against GNAC opponents away from Boston.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Saint Joseph's:

• Senior Mitchell Duncan (Sanford, Maine) leads the Monks in points (18) with seven goals and four assists and is always a threat to score in a potent offensive lineup.
• Senior midfielder Cody Elliott (Gorham, Maine) leads the conference in assists last season and has started all 18 games for the Monks.
• Senior defender Noah Robinson (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.), who does a bit of everything for the Monks, is second on the Monks with seven goals this year and one of the top defenders in the GNAC.

Emmanuel:

• Sophomore forward Alex Erskine (Coventry, Conn.) is tied for fifth in the GNAC in goals (11) and ranks sixth overall in points (26). He is currently tied for the EC single-season record for goals and points and has set the new standard for game-winning goals in a season (6).
• Sophomore midfielder Robert Danielian (Watertown, Mass.) leads the Saints in assists (5) which ranks ninth in the GNAC and also has three goals for 11 total points.
• Sophomore forward Kyle King (Gorham, Maine) is ranked second on the team in points (12) with four goals and four assists.

KEEPER COMPARISON:

Saint Joseph's:

Junior David Walbridge (Hampden, Mass.) ranks second in the nation with 10 shutouts on the year and has posted an .865 save percentage to lead the GNAC.

Emmanuel:

Senior Jonathan Ferrarini (Hanover, Mass.) enters the postseason with a 1.48 goals-against average and a .763 save percentage after posting 45 saves and yielding 14 goals. He became Emmanuel's all-time leader in career victories with 20 in his last win and is currently tied for the career shutouts record with 13 clean sheets.

COACHES' CORNER:

Saint Joseph's Head Coach Will Pike '11 has enjoyed a strong first-season at the helm after taking over the program from Adrian Dubois after serving as his Assistant Coach for five seasons. The former Monks goalkeeper has led the team to a nation-best 14 shutouts.

Emmanuel Head Coach Dan Roberts is in his fourth year at the helm for the Saints and owns a 24-37-12 (.411) career record, including an 16-16-9 (.500) mark in GNAC play. EC has qualified for the GNAC postseason every year under his guidance.

THE LAST TIME WE MET:

Saint Joseph's exploded for seven goals in a 7-2 win earlier this year vs. the Saints in Boston. The seven goals for the Monks was a season-high and the most in a game since a 13-0 win last season against Lasell.

Emmanuel's first goal of the afternoon snapped the Monks scoreless minutes streak at 871 minutes, which extended over 10 games and the two-goals allowed marked just the second time this season the Monks have conceded multiple goals. It was also the first time Saint Joseph's has allowed two goals in regular-season GNAC action since the 2015 campaign.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's is 11-3-1 all-time versus Emmanuel College and enters Saturday's contest having defeated the Saints in five-consecutive meetings by a collective 17-2 score.

POSTSEASON HISTORY:

The Monks have advanced to the GNAC Tournament every season since the College joined the conference in the fall of 2007. Saint Joseph's is 17-7 in GNAC postseason play with GNAC Championships in 2009, 2011, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Emmanuel College has made 11 trips to the GNAC Tournament since joining the conference in 2002 with a postseason record of 1-10-1. The Saints tied Albertus Magnus in 2005 but fell in penalty kicks and notched their lone win in 2012 with a 3-2 victory over Emerson in the GNAC Quarterfinals.  

The only meeting between the two squads in the GNAC postseason came last year as the Monks edged the Saints, 1-0, behind a goal in the 77^th minute by Cody Elliott. EC first year keeper Vincent Conelli (West Hartford, Conn.) kept the Saints in it throughout with 13 saves in his collegiate debut.