Men’s Soccer Posts Upset Win in PKs at Norwich, Advances to GNAC Semis

THE BASICS 

Score: 
Emmanuel 1 – Norwich 1 (Emmanuel advanced in PKs, 3-1)

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (7-4-7)
Norwich University Cadets (11-3-3)

Location: Northfield, Vt. – Sabine Field

Date: Saturday, October 29, 2022

THE LEAD – After 110 minutes of soccer, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Quarterfinal between No. 6 Emmanuel and No. 3 Norwich came down to penalty kicks, and with first-year goalie Maddox Pierce (Meriden, Conn.) coming off the bench to guard the net, the substitution paid off, as Pierce stopped 3-of-4 Norwich PKs while the Saints went 3-for-3 from the spot, as the Saints upset the Cadets to move forward to the GNAC Semifinals.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Norwich elected to shoot first in PKs, sending sophomore Mamadi Jiana (Chicopee, Mass.) to the spot. Jiana shot to his left, but Pierce read the shot, making a diving stop to his right. First-year Saint Renato Martinez (Sao Paulo, Brazil) calmly fired his PK into the right-side netting, as EC led 1-0 after round one.
• In round two, Norwich junior Jami Lashua (Williston, Vt.) shot his attempt in a similar location to Jiana, with a similar result, a diving save to his right by Pierce. Saints sophomore Pedro-Andres Vasquez (Frisco, Texas) spotted his PK into the left-side netting, giving EC a 2-0 lead.
• Both sides scored in round three, giving EC a 3-1 edge and putting them on the brink of advancing in the GNAC Postseason. The Cadets all-time leading goal scorer, senior Joseph Thongsythavong (Salem, Mass.), stepped up for his PK, only to be denied by Pierce, this time on a dive to his left, clinching the PK shootout victory, 3-1.
• The Cadets had the only two shots on goal in the overtime with their best chance to end the match in the 98^th minute with Lashua cutting into the box and firing a left-footed shot from close range. The attempt was denied by Saints graduate student goalie Vincent Conelli (West Hartford, Mass.) with the rebound cleared away safely, keeping the match tied 1-1.
• The Saints jumped out to a lead just 70 seconds into the match with senior Alec Erskine (Coventry, R.I.) scoring his 10^th of the season. Sophomore Joey Soucy (Attleboro, Mass.) forced a turnover in the midfield and drove toward net, drawing the Norwich goalie out of the net to cut down the angle. Soucy waited on Erskine to complete a 50-yard sprint from midfield and slid a perfect pass into his stride, as Erskine finished into an empty net for the 1-0 edge.
• Norwich tied the match prior to half on a header that just broke the goal line. A cross near the left corner found Thongsythavong at the top of the six-yard box as he flicked a header toward the far-right post. Conelli nearly beat the header to the goal line, but his diving left-hand perry was too late, as the ball was deemed to cross the line, tying the match 1-1.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Erskine's second-minute tally was his first of the 2022 postseason and his 10^th overall goal of the campaign. Soucy's assist gives him a team-high six helpers on the year.
• Thongsythavong's goal was his first of the playoffs and his team-best 21^st goal of the year.
• Conelli made eight saves for the Saints during the course of regulation and overtime.
• Cadets senior Robert Wagenseller (Poway, Calif.) made three stops for Norwich.
• The Saints victory sends them to the semifinals for only the second time in program history. The 2011 Saints advanced to the semis after a quarterfinal win over Emerson.

UP NEXT

• The Saints advance to the GNAC Semifinal for the first time in more than a decade and head down to Providence on Wednesday, Nov. 2 for a 7:00 p.m. match with No. 2 Johnson & Wales University.
• The Cadets season comes to a conclusion at 11-3-3.