Men’s Soccer Invited to ECAC Tournament
| SCORING | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Vt. (12-6-1,) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandeis (13-5-1,) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Scoring Summary | |
|---|---|
| 1st - 9:15 | Lee Russo (Brandeis) |
| 2nd - 82:28 | Lee Russo (Brandeis) |
| Southern Vt. | Brandeis |
|---|---|
|
G:
N/A
A: N/A Sh: N/A Sv: Connor Anniello - 12 |
G:
Lee Russo - 2
A: 2 Players (#6, #33 - 1) Sh: Sam Ocel - 10 Sv: N/A |
| TEAM STATISTICS | Southern Vt. | Brandeis |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 0 (0) | 31 (14) |
| Saves | 12 | 0 |
| Fouls | 16 | 14 |
| Corner Kicks | 0 | 9 |
| Offsides | 5 | 0 |
WALTHAM, MA- The Southern Vermont Men's Soccer team earned a berth to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) post-season Monday afternoon. The ECAC invites eight teams from the region that do not qualify for the NCAA tournament and have an above .500 record. Southern Vermont will take on New England region, number one seed, Brandeis University. SVC will travel to Brandeis Wednesday evening at 7:00PM.
"It is exciting to have one more chance at a win or go home tournament," SVC Head Coach Tim Penrod said. "This is a chance for the seniors to have another game and another step in the right direction for the program."
The ECAC berth is the first post-season berth that the Men's Soccer program will play in besides a conference tournament. Southern Vermont went 12-5-1 in 2011, under New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Coach of the Year Tim Penrod. SVC won the NECC regular season championship, and won its semi-final match. The Mountaineers were upset in the conference championship game by Lesley University, Sunday afternoon.
Southern Vermont is led by senior leadership throughout. The team features six seniors which have all had impacts on the 2011 success. Senior forward Nick Haggerty (Wynantskill, NY) is 2nd on Southern Vermont's All-Time list for career goals and points. The 2009 ECAC All Region member scored 16 goals in 2011. Classmate, Greg Gilmore (Dover, NH) earned All-Tournament team this past weekend at the NECC Championships. Gilmore is Southern Vermont's All Time leader in games started. Also, senior mid-fielder Noah Massucci (Craftsbury, Vt.) had a major impact at the end of the season for SVC. Massucci had two goals and two assists against Elms in the semi-final victory.
The University Athletic Association(UAA) member, Brandeis, also went 12-5-1 overall. The Judges return to the ECAC tournament after they won the championship a year ago. In head coach Mike Coven's 39th season at the helm, Brandeis had its best regular season since 2000 with their 12 wins, 10 of which came via shutout.
The Judges feature a balanced offensive attack with five different players scoring at least five goals this season. Junior Sam Ocel (North Attleboro, Mass.) leads the squad with six goals and six assists for 18 points, while rookie Tyler Savonen (Orleans, Mass.) is just behind with six goals and five assists. Junior goalkeeper Blake Minchoff (Fiskdale, Mass.) leads the UAA with 10 shutouts – tying the school single-season record – as well as in saves (66), save percentage (.857). He is also ranks second in goals against average (0.59).
The matchup will be the first between the two schools, which have one common opponent in 2011, as each team played Wheaton this season. Brandeis won on the road as Southern Vermont lost at home.
Wednesday's additional quarterfinals pit second-seeded Albertus Magnus (15-3-1) against No. 7 Endicott (8-8-3); No. 3 Castleton State (12-6-2) against No. 6 Worcester State (8-8-2); and No. 4 UMass Boston (11-5) against No. 5 Norwich (11-9). The highest remaining seed will host the final four teams on Nov. 12 and 13.
