MEN'S SOCCER SET TO TAKE ON NORWICH IN GNAC QUARTERS
BOSTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel College men's soccer team will travel to Northfield, Vt. to take on Norwich University in the 2017 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Quarterfinals this Sunday, October 29 with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 PM. The Saints come in as the No. 6 seed in the eight-team field while the Cadets boast the No. 3 seed, also seeking the programs fifth all-time GNAC title.
BOSTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel College men's soccer team will travel to Northfield, Vt. to take on Norwich University in the 2017 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Quarterfinals this Sunday, October 29 with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 PM. The Saints come in as the No. 6 seed in the eight-team field while the Cadets boast the No. 3 seed, also seeking the programs fifth all-time GNAC title.
This marks Emmanuel's tenth berth and fifth consecutive appearance in the GNAC tournament while Norwich earns its' 19th appearance in as many years. The Saints are 1-9 all-time in the GNAC playoffs, with their lone win coming in 2011 in a 3-2 victory over Emerson College. The Cadets own a GNAC tournament record of 30-12-3, reaching the finals 10 times.
It will be an uphill climb for the Saints who have never beaten the Cadets in their three postseason meetings. Norwich won a pair of 3-0 postseason matches in 2006 and 2010 and won 1-0 in 2015. The Saints own a 0-16-3 record against the Cadets with two of those draws coming in their last two meetings.
In their regular season meeting last month, Emmanuel gave Norwich all they could handle in a 0-0 loss at NU. The Saints battled the Cadets to a scoreless draw after 90 minutes of regulation and two overtimes totaling 110 minutes of play. Norwich carried most of possession and were more dangerous in the attack generating 31 shots to Emmanuel's four. EC sophomore goalkeeper Jonathan Ferrarini (Hanover, Mass.) posted a season high 16 saves in the contest.
The Saints are led by tri-captains: senior Jason Miech (Coventry, R.I.), juniors Travis Cole (Beckley, W.V.) and Steve Sexton (Merrimack, N.H.) all of whom have been instrumental in the team's success so far this season. The Saints offense will feature senior midfielder Cam Messier (Belchertown, Mass.) and sophomore Willy Burdick (Scarborough, Maine). Messier set the EC men's soccer assist record last week with his 15th career helper. Burdick is the team's leading goal scorer, claiming five on the year. Ferrarini will be the keeper for the Saints, the sophomore has made a conference high 125 saves on the year.
For the Cadets, senior midfielder Camilo Estrada (Pawtucket, R.I.) and sophomore forward Luke Gleadle (Gibert, Ariz.). lead the way with six and 10 goals respectively while Estrada has added 10 assists. The Norwich goal is minded by Brendan Germano owning an impressive 1.03 goals against average while making 82 saves on the year. The winner of Saturday's quarterfinal will take on the winner of the No. 7 Albertus Magnus College vs. No. 2 Johnson and Wales contest. That game will be held on Wednesday, November 1 at the site of the higher seed.
Watch the game live on the video stream here: https://www.nsnsports.net/colleges/norwich