MEN'S SOCCER FALLS TO NORWICH, 3-0 IN GNAC QUARTERFINALS
Oct. 30, 2010
NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University men's soccer team will be headed to the semifinal round of the GNAC tournament after their 3-0 shutout of the Emmanuel College Saints at Howard Field on Saturday afternoon.
Two first-half goals by junior Ryan Robertson were the difference makers in the playoff contest. Starting off evenly matched, both teams battled to gain the momentum of the game, as the Saints recorded seven shots and the Cadets with 10 in the first 45 minutes.
Robertson came off the bench, towards the latter half of the period and immediately impacted the intensity of the match. In the 34th minute, he netted a rebounded ball off of an original throw-in play by sophomore Mike Ravenelle. Minutes later, Robertson found his self alone in the box, setting up for a penalty kick that would turn out to put the Cadets up by two goals going into halftime.
The Cadets worked hard to maintain their advantage in the second half, as the Saints were leaving everything they had on the field to try to lessen the gap and take back the game. In the 77th minute, freshman William Flanagan secured any doubt of a Norwich victory, netting a well-placed shot past Saints goalkeeper, junior Wilhelm Du Bois.
Du Bois played 80 minutes in the net, earning six saves, but was replaced by senior Carlos Perez shortly after the third Norwich goal was tallied. In net for the Cadets, freshman Alex Toomey improved his career record to 10-6-2, coming up with five saves in the contest, including two crucial deflections midway in the second half which may have potentially tied the game.
The Cadets move on to the semifinal round on Tuesday, Nov. 2. The time of the event, location, and opponent of the GNAC contest will be determined later today.
The Saints finish the season with a record of 6-9-3. It is the most wins that the team has recorded in a single season since the 2006 campaign. Sophomore Kevin Shirley's eight goals and five assists for 21 points is the most by an Emmanuel player since prior to the 2005 season.