Thomas Claims Second-Straight Men's Soccer Title
Thomas Claims Second-Straight Men's Soccer Title
Number-four Thomas College (12-7-1) defeated sixth-seeded Colby-Sawyer (9-8-3) in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Men's Soccer Championship tonight by the score of 4-1. With the win, the Terriers pick up their second NAC Championship in as many years.
Thomas jumped out to the early lead at the 11 minute mark, when Michael Hand found the foot of Kenny Cano who ripped a shot towards the net, beating the keeper to the far side. Less than three minutes later, Hand found another one of his teammates, this time Tre Ming, who chipped the ball up over the keepers hands and into the back of the net to give Thomas a 2-0 lead.
Colby-Sawyer took the momentum soon after Thomas netted its second goal. The Chargers would get a free-kick from the corner, making Mikkail Crockwell come out and clear the ball out with a solid punch. Crockwell would go on to make a number of great saves in the first half, including a fantastic diving stop on a shot by Carlton Wheeler-Omiunu to silence the Chargers surge.
Thomas came out in the second half with the momentum, putting many shots towards the net. Michael Hand netted Thomas' third goal when Ming put a corner into the box where Paul Rechichi attempted a header that got blocked down to the foot of Hand. He would go on to volley the ball past the keeper, towards the top far corner.
Play continued to be back and forth in the second half until the ball found the boot of Kenny Cano who would score his second goal of the game when he dribble into the 18 yard box and fire a shot off the crossbar and into the net to give Thomas a secure 4-0 lead. Colby-Sawyer's Alex Ortega erased the shutout for the Terriers when he found the back of the net at the 86th minute. Thomas would go on to win their third conference championship in four years, also becoming only the second school to win back to back NAC Championships since Castleton did it in 2007-2008.
The NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship selection show will be Monday, November 11 at 1 P.M. The Terriers will find out who their opponent will be for the first round of play.
All-Tournament Team
Bryce Kaler – Castleton
Alex McCormick – Castleton
Kyle Haslam – Maine Maritime
Gabriel Warren – Maine Maritime
Nick Austin – Colby-Sawyer
Alex Ortega – Colby-Sawyer
Rick Prindiville – Colby-Sawyer
Mikkal Crockwell – Thomas
Tre Ming – Thomas
Joshua Phelps – Thomas
Paul Rechichi – Thomas
Michael Hand – MVP – Thomas
Championship Bracket
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Quarterfinals – Sunday, November 3 at Higher Seed
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|
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(8) Lyndon
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0
|
(1) Castleton
|
5 - RECAP |
|
(7) UMaine-Farmington
|
0
|
(2) Maine Maritime
|
4 - RECAP |
|
(6) Colby-Sawyer
|
2
|
(3) New England Coll.
|
1 - RECAP |
|
(5) Husson
|
1
|
(4) Thomas
|
3 - RECAP |
|
Semifinals –Wednesday, November 6 at Higher Seed
|
|
Thomas
|
2
|
Castleton
|
0 - RECAP |
|
Colby-Sawyer
|
0
|
Maine Maritime
|
0 - PK Away - RECAP |
|
Finals – Saturday, November 9 at Higher Seed
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|
Colby-Sawyer
|
1
|
Thomas
|
4
|
November 6, 2013
No. 6 Colby-Sawyer's improbable run continued through the semifinal round, as the Chargers advanced past second-seeded Maine Maritime by virtue of a penalty kick round after playing to a 0-0 draw. Defending champion and fourth-seeded Thomas advanced past top-seeded Castleton 2-0 in the other semifinal.
Championship Bracket
|
Quarterfinals – Sunday, November 3 at Higher Seed
|
|
|
(8) Lyndon
|
0
|
(1) Castleton
|
5 - RECAP |
|
(7) UMaine-Farmington
|
0
|
(2) Maine Maritime
|
4 - RECAP |
|
(6) Colby-Sawyer
|
2
|
(3) New England Coll.
|
1 - RECAP |
|
(5) Husson
|
1
|
(4) Thomas
|
3 - RECAP |
|
Semifinals –Wednesday, November 6 at Higher Seed
|
|
Thomas
|
2
|
Castleton
|
0 - RECAP |
|
Colby-Sawyer
|
0
|
Maine Maritime
|
0 - PK Away - RECAP |
|
Finals – Saturday, November 9 at Higher Seed
|
|
Colby-Sawyer
|
at
|
Thomas
|
4 p.m. |
November 3, 2013
No. 6 Colby-Sawyer provided the lone upset of the quarterfinal round of the North Atlantic COnference Men's Soccer Tournament on Sunday, defeating New England College on the road. The Chargers will join the No. 1 Castleton, No. 2 Maine Maritime, and No. 4 Thomas in the semiginal round Wednesday.
Championship Bracket
|
Quarterfinals – Sunday, November 3 at Higher Seed
|
|
|
(8) Lyndon
|
0
|
(1) Castleton
|
5 - RECAP |
|
(7) UMaine-Farmington
|
0
|
(2) Maine Maritime
|
4 - RECAP |
|
(6) Colby-Sawyer
|
2
|
(3) New England Coll.
|
1 - RECAP |
|
(5) Husson
|
1
|
(4) Thomas
|
3 - RECAP |
|
Semifinals –Wednesday, November 6 at Higher Seed
|
|
Thomas
|
at
|
Castleton
|
|
|
Colby-Sawyer
|
at
|
Maine Maritime
|
|
|
Finals – Saturday, November 9 at Higher Seed
|
|
Semifinal Winners
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October 27, 2013
Castleton State College (12-3-2, 7-1-1) has earned the top seed in the upcoming North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Men's Soccer Tournament. The Spartans entered the final weekend of conference play needing wins over defending champion Thomas and UMaine-Farmington, and shutout both opponents on the road to take the top spot.
The Spartans will host eighth-seeded Lyndon in Sunday's quarterfinal round.
Maine Maritime (10-4-2, 7-1-1) is the second seed and will host number-seven UMaine-Farmington, while New England College (10-6-2, 6-2-1) finished third and will host sixth-seeded Colby-Sawyer.
Number-four Thomas (9-7-1, 6-3) will host the five seed, Husson (5-6-4, 5-1-3) in a rematch of last year's conference championship.
The top eight teams qualify for the NAC Championship. Predetermined tiebreaking procedures were used to seed teams with identical conference point totals.
Quarterfinal round games will be played on Sunday, November 3 at the higher seed. Winners will advance to the semifinal round held at the higher seed on Wednesday, November 6. Semifinal winners will meet Saturday, November 9 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
|
Quarterfinals – Sunday, November 3 at Higher Seed
|
|
|
(8) Lyndon
|
at
|
(1) Castleton
|
|
|
(7) UMaine-Farmington
|
at
|
(2) Maine Maritime
|
|
|
(6) Colby-Sawyer
|
at
|
(3) New England Coll.
|
|
|
(5) Husson
|
at
|
(4) Thomas
|
|
|
Semifinals –Wednesday, November 6 at Higher Seed
|
|
Husson/Thomas
|
vs
|
Lyndon/Castleton
|
|
|
New England Coll./Colby-Sawyer
|
vs
|
Me.-Farmington/Maine Maritime
|
|
|
Finals – Saturday, November 9 at Higher Seed
|
|
Semifinal Winners
|