Thomas Shuts Out Husson in NAC Men's Soccer Final
Thomas Shuts Out Husson in NAC Men's Soccer Final
WATERVILLE, Maine - The top-seeded Thomas (15-2-2) men's soccer team has claimed the 2012 North Atlantic Conference championship after a 3-0 victory over second-seeded Husson University (15-5) on Saturday evening. It is Thomas's second NAC title in the last three years.
In front of a large and spirited crowd, the game was intense from the opening kickoff. Husson had a couple of early chances to strike first, but were unable to connect. Senior James Crockford (Watford, England) put a header on goal but was just high and struck the crossbar. Husson had early control over the flow of the game, but Thomas was able to swing things in their favor and would find the net for the game's first goal in the 38th minute when sophomore Kenny Cano (Lowell, Mass.) put a through ball to junior Michael Hand (Essex, England) who bent it to the right side of the net for the 1-0 lead.
The game would stay at 1-0 until the half, and Thomas would keep their momentum going into the second half, when just over 12 minutes in Hand would return the favor for Cano, setting him up with a through ball that Cano would bury past the keeper to the right for the 2-0 Terrier lead.
After the sluggish start to the match, the Terrier defense was strong throughout and only allowed two shots on goal, both of which were saved by junior keeper Mikkail Crockwell (St. David's, Bermuda). They shut down 2012 NAC Player of the Year sophomore Phil Frost (Bangor, Maine), who recorded zero shots.
Thomas would put in the game's third and final goal in the 63rd minute when sophomore Khamisi Lightbourne (Sandy's, Bermuda) received a pass from junior Paul Rechichi (Kingsley, Australia) and struck it off the hands of Eagle sophomore keeper Brian Potter (Waterville, Maine) and into the net to put the Terrier lead at 3-0, which hold until the final horn and an NAC title for Thomas.
Thomas held the edge in shots 16-8 and shots on goal at 6-2. Overall for the NAC tournament, Thomas outscored their opponents 11-0.
With the victory, Thomas collects an automatic qualifier into the NCAA DIII Men's Soccer Tournament, which begins late next week. The selection show for the tournament will be on Monday at 1pm.
2012 NAC All-Tournament Team
Nicholas George - Maine Maritime
Kyle Haslem - Maine Maritime
Rob Lucas - New England College
Julian Yourawski - New England College
Phil Frost - Husson
James Crockford - Husson
Stephen Berenyi - Husson
Chris DelGiudice - Husson
Michael Hand - Thomas
Paul Rechichi - Thomas
Khamisi Lightbourne - Thomas
Josh Phelps - Thomas
Mikkail Crockwell - Thomas - MVP
October 31, 2012
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Quarterfinals – Saturday, October 27 at Higher Seed
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|
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(8) Green Mountain
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0
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(1) Thomas
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4 RECAP |
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(7) Lyndon
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1
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(2) Husson
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2 RECAP |
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(6) Colby-Sawyer
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1
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(3) New England Coll.
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2 (2OT) RECAP |
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(5) Castleton
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1
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(4) Maine Maritime
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2 RECAP |
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Semifinals –Wednesday, October 31 at Higher Seed
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Maine Maritime
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0
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Thomas
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4 RECAP |
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New England Coll.
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2
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Husson
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3 RECAP |
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Finals – Saturday, November 3 at Higher Seed
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Husson
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vs
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Thomas
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|
October 27, 2012
|
Quarterfinals – Saturday, October 27 at Higher Seed
|
|
|
(8) Green Mountain
|
0
|
(1) Thomas
|
4 RECAP |
|
(7) Lyndon
|
1
|
(2) Husson
|
2 RECAP |
|
(6) Colby-Sawyer
|
1
|
(3) New England Coll.
|
2 (2OT) RECAP |
|
(5) Castleton
|
1
|
(4) Maine Maritime
|
2 RECAP |
|
Semifinals –Wednesday, October 31 at Higher Seed
|
|
Maine Maritime
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vs
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Thomas
|
|
|
New England Coll.
|
vs
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Husson
|
|
|
Finals – Saturday, November 3 at Higher Seed
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|
Semifinal Winners
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October 23, 2012
Thomas College (12-2-2, 8-0-1) put the finishing touches on an unbeaten conference season Tuesday evening and has earned the top seed in the upcoming North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Men's Soccer Tournament.
The Terriers dispatched of the University of Maine at Farmington on the final day of the regular season, securing the number-one seed and earning the right to host eighth-seeded Green Mountain College on Saturday, October 27.
Defending champion Husson (12-4, 8-1) finished second in the regular season standings and will host Lyndon on Saturday.
New England College (11-4-3, 7-1-1) earned the third seed and will host number-six Colby-Sawyer while fourth-seeded Maine Maritime will entertain the fifth seed, Castleton to round out Saturday's quarterfinal match-ups.
The top eight teams qualify for the NAC Championship. Predetermined tiebreaking procedures were used to seed teams with identical conference winning percentages.
Quarterfinal round games will be played on Saturday, October 27 at the higher seed. Winners will advance to the semifinal round held at the higher seed on Tuesday, October 30. Semifinal winners will meet Saturday, November 3 at the highest remaining seed.
Game times and dates are subject to change. The NAC Champion receives an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Championship.
Championship Bracket
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Quarterfinals – Saturday, October 27 at Higher Seed
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|
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(8) Green Mountain
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at
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(1) Thomas
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|
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(7) Lyndon
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at
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(2) Husson
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|
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(6) Colby-Sawyer
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at
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(3) New England Coll.
|
|
|
(5) Castleton
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at
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(4) Maine Maritime
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|
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Semifinals –Tuesday, October 30 at Higher Seed
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Maine Maritime/Castleton
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vs
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Green Mountain/Thomas
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|
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New England Coll./Colby-Sawyer
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vs
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Lyndon/Husson
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|
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Finals – Saturday, November 3 at Higher Seed
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Semifinal Winners
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