NAC Men's Soccer Tournament Preview
WATERVILLE, Maine - The 2024 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Men's Soccer Tournament kicks off this afternoon with a West Division First Round matchup and continues through the NAC Championship game, which will be hosted by the highest remaining seed in the West on Saturday, November 9th at 1:00 PM.
The 2024 NAC Champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Tournament, starting on Saturday, November 16th. The official selections will be announced on Monday, November 11th, during a live selection show on NCAA.com.
Championship Tournament Schedule:
West First-Round: Wednesday, October 30, 2024 @ VTSU Johnson
#2 VTSU Johnson vs #3 SUNY Cobleskill - 12:00 PM
East Quarterfinals: Saturday, November 2, 2024 - @ Thomas College
Quarterfinal 1 - #1 Thomas vs #4 Husson - 12:00 PM
Quarterfinal 2 - #2 Maine Maritime Academy vs #3 UMaine-Farmington - 2:30 PM
West Semifinals: Sunday, November 3, 2024 @ SUNY Delhi
#1 Delhi vs winner of west first-round (#2 Johnson vs #3 SUNY Cobleskill) - 12:00 PM
East Semifinals: Sunday, November 3, 2024 @ Thomas College
Winner of Quarterfinal 1 vs Winner of Quarterfinal 2 - 4:00 PM
Championship: Saturday, November 9, 2024 @ Site of West Division Champion
East Division Champion vs West Division Champion
EAST DIVISION:
#1 Thomas College (8-0-2 NAC, 11-1-3 Overall)
Head Coach: Kyle Fletcher (3rd Season, 24-16-12)
NAC Championships: (6) 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019
2023 NAC Tournament Results: Lost to Husson, 4-3, in quarterfinal
Offensive Leaders: #10 Joshua Joseph (15 goals, 12 assists), #14 David Ivarsson (12 goals, 8 assists), #8 Micky Woodrow (5 goals, 5 assists)
Goalkeeping Leader: #98 Jamie Fischer (9-1-3, three shutouts, 1.02 GAA, .838 SV%, 1146:15 minutes)
NOTES: The Terriers’ lone loss on the season was a 2-1 setback at the hands of Colby College on September 1st…Outscored conference opponents by a 39-10 margin…Thomas ranks ninth in NCAA DIII in points per game (9.07) and assists per game (2.80) and 10th in scoring offense (3.13)…The Terriers have gone 8-for-8 on PK attempts so far this fall…Joshua Joseph leads the conference in goals, assists, and points.
#2 Maine Maritime Academy (6-3-1 NAC, 7-7-2 Overall)
Head Coach: Billy Shannon (9th Season, 58-66-12)
NAC Championships: None (2019 runner-up)
2023 NAC Tournament Results: Lost to UMaine-Farmington, 3-1, in quarterfinal
Offensive Leaders: #11 John-John Dickenson (4 goals, 4 assists), #9 Gabriel Toledo (5 goals, 2 assists), #14 James Baur (5 goals, 1 assist)
Goalkeeping Leader: #00 Reagan Moynihan (5-5-2, 3 shutouts, 1.88 GAA, .695 SV%, 1195:55 minutes)
NOTES: The Mariners surged into the NAC playoff picture with a 4-0-1 record in their last five conference contests, including two victories over Husson University, marking the first time Maine Maritime won a pair of games over the Eagles in a season since 2019.
#3 UMaine-Farmington (6-4-0 NAC, 7-6-3 Overall)
Head Coach: Blake Hart (6th Season, 45-31-11)
NAC Championships: None (2021 runner-up)
2023 NAC Tournament Results: Defeated Maine Maritime, 3-1, in quarterfinal; fell to Husson, 2-1, in semifinal
Offensive Leaders: #10 Mohamed Adow (14 goals, 2 assists), #7 Zach Chaisson (2 goals, 3 assists), #15 Jack Luciano (3 goals, 1 assist)
Goalkeeping Leader: #1 Jackson Leach (7-6-3, 3 shutouts, 1.73 GAA, .648 SV%, 1303:48 minutes)
NOTES: Mohamed Adow leads the conference in shots (77), shots on goal (39), and game-winning goals (4) and ranks second in the NAC in goals (14) and third in points (30)…Jackson Leach leads the NAC in goalkeeper minutes (1303:38).
#4 Husson University (5-4-1 NAC, 8-6-3 Overall)
Head Coach: Carlos Bermudez (1st Season, 8-6-3)
NAC Championships: (4) 2009, 2011, 2014, 2022
2023 NAC Tournament Results: Defeated Thomas, 4-3, in quarterfinal, defeated UMF in semifinal, 2-1, lost to SUNY Poly, 2-1 (2 OT), in championship
Offensive Leaders: #9 Mario Alvarez (5 goals, 5 assists), #30 Florian Gasser (4 goals, 2 assists), #4 Pedro Molina (4 goals, 1 assist)
Goalkeeping Leader: #41 Wessel De Wit (5-2-1, 3 shutouts, 1.58 GAA, .594 SV%, 738:52 minutes)
NOTES: Husson posted a 5-4 record in nine one-goal games this fall…The Eagles won every game in which they scored at least two goals this season.
WEST DIVISION:
#1 SUNY Delhi (6-0-0 NAC, 8-5-4 Overall)
Head Coach: Matthew Esposito (1st Season, 8-5-4)
NAC Championships: None (2022 runner-up)
2023 NAC Tournament Results: Defeated Eastern Nazarene, 2-1, in quarterfinal, lost to SUNY Poly, 2-1, in semifinal
Offensive Leaders: #10 Roberto Velasquez-Osario (7 goals, 7 assists), #8 John Walsh (5 goals, 6 assists), #11 Matthew Pozo (6 goals, 2 assists)
Goalkeeping Leader: #1 Salvatore Meloni (6-5-4, 5 shutouts, 1.11 GAA, .795 SV%, 1300:40 minutes)
NOTES: The Broncos outscored conference opponents by a staggering 34-1 margin this fall…Delhi heads into the postseason having won seven of their last nine games by a combined score of 38-6.
#2 VTSU Johnson (2-2-2 NAC, 3-8-2 Overall)
Head Coach: Alec Brigante (2nd Season, 4-22-2)
NAC Championships: None
2023 NAC Tournament Results: NA
Offensive Leaders: #10 Oakley Francis (4 goals), #14 Logan Ingalls (4 goals), #9 Jonathan Cayole (2 goals, 3 assists)
Goalkeeping Leader: #78 Carlos Dominguez (1-6-1, 1 shutout, 3.60 GAA, .649 SV%, 675 minutes)
NOTES: The Badgers are hosting a NAC postseason contest for the first time since the 2018 campaign…VTSU-Johnson last advanced in the NAC Tournament in 2009, when they edged Thomas College in PK’s in a quarterfinal matchup.
#3 SUNY Cobleskill (2-2-2 NAC, 4-10-3 Overall)
Head Coach: Joseph Machado (10th Season, 46-101-16)
NAC Championships: None
2023 NAC Tournament Results: NA
Offensive Leaders: #27 Connor Fancher (11 goals, 1 assist), #9 Spencer Reisman (1 goal, 6 assists), #13 Tyler Szarek (4 goals)
Goalkeeping Leader: #1 Adam Champlin (3-9-2, 1 shutout, 2.03 GAA, .789 SV%, 1241 minutes)
NOTES: The Fighting Tigers last appeared in the NAC Tournament in 2022 when they suffered a quarterfinal setback at the hands of SUNY Poly…Cobleskill is 0-2 in NAC postseason play since joining the conference in 2021. Connor Fancher ranks fourth in the conference in goals (11).