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South Easton, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Men’s Soccer Championship continues today with the semifinal round that features #2 Le Moyne College hosting #3 Franklin Pierce University at 1 p.m., while #8 Saint Anselm College travels to #4 Southern Connecticut State University in the second semifinal match which is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Defense was the key in the quarterfinals as Le Moyne advanced to its fifth semifinal match, while Franklin Pierce is appearing in its eighth. The Dolphins defeated Bentley University, 1-0, with a late goal by Jesse Carr (Skaneateles, N.Y.) in the 77th minute in the quarterfinal match up. The Ravens on the other hand, played 120 minutes of scoreless soccer to draw a 0-0 tie with Assumption College. The two teams took part in a penalty kick shootout to determine a winner as goalkeeper Vinny Papageorgiou (Wilmington, Mass.) turned away two shots as Franklin Pierce went on to defeat the Greyhounds 4-2 in the shootout period.

Le Moyne (15-2-2, 10-2-1 NE-10) is led by All-Northeast-10 selection Angelo Reina (Frankfurt, N.Y.) who leads the team with 14 goals and six assists for 34 points. Goalkeeper Steve White (Cortland, N.Y.) is holding opponents to under one goal per game with a 0.77 goals against average and has a save percentage of .815.

Franklin Pierce (12-3-3, 10-2-1 NE-10) midfielder Frantz Francois (West Palm Beach, Fla.) leads the team in scoring with ten goals and 21 points. Sophomores Diego Tabares (Seekonk, Mass.) and Victor Goncalves (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) have combined for 11 goals this season with Tabares recording six and Goncalves adding five. Just like his counterpart, Papageorgiou has also held his opponents to under one goal per game with a 0.69 goals against average. He currently has a save percentage of .833 and eight shutouts this season.

In the regular season, Le Moyne defeated Franklin Pierce, 2-1, in Syracuse, N.Y.

The late semifinal game will feature eighth seeded Saint Anselm taking on #4 Southern Connecticut. The Hawks stunned top seed Southern New Hampshire University, 1-0, in the quarterfinals to become the first number eight seed to defeat a number one seed in the current championship format which began in 2000. Sophomore Justin Colella (Wilmington, Mass.) scored the game’s only goal in the 36th minute as the defense took care of the rest, holding one of the conference’s top scoring teams off the scoreboard. Saint Anselm is advancing to its 15th semifinal which is the most in NE-10 history.

Southern Connecticut scored the game’s first two goals as they went on to defeat fifth seeded Merrimack College, 2-1, to advance to its eighth semifinal match. Harry Appiah (Pawtucket, R.I.) scored the first goal of the game to give the Owls a 1-0 lead entering halftime. Sophomore Cedric Panzu (Mons-en-Baroeul, France) increased the lead to 2-0 in the second half before Merrimack came back with a goal of its own. However, the Southern Connecticut defense held off a possible comeback by the Warriors to secure the win.

Saint Anselm (7-8-3, 6-5-2 NE-10) sophomore Keesen Howe (Norwich, Conn.) and senior Paul Kilday (Marshfield, Mass.) lead the team in scoring with four goals apiece. Freshman goalkeeper Eric Moriarty (Center Harbor, N.H.) and senior John Corridan (Holliston, Mass.) have split time in net for the Hawks this season as they have combined for a 1.37 goals against average with a .797 save percentage. Saint Anselm is 4-1-1 in its previous six games.

Southern Connecticut (13-4-1, 9-3-1 NE-10) has won six of its last seven contests and is led by sophomore Paul Templeton (Saltcoats, Scotland) and Panzu who have combined for 14 goals this season each scoring seven respectively. Junior Victor Hernandez (Rye Book, N.Y.) and Appiah each have scored five goals this season for the conference’s top scoring offense. Goalkeeper Andrew Esposito (East Haven, Conn.) has a 1.03 goals against average, while recording a .750 save percentage.

Southern Connecticut defeated Saint Anselm earlier in the season, 3-1, at home.

The winners of each semifinal match will face off in the Northeast-10 Championship Final on Saturday, Nov. 7 at the higher remaining seed for a 1 p.m. match. Live action can be seen on Northeast10.tv for all fans and free of charge. For more information visit the Northeast-10 website at www.northeast10.org.

With 16 member institutions the Northeast-10 shares the distinction of being the largest Division II conference in the country along with the PSAC and WVIAC. Its 23 championship sports provide athletic opportunities for over 5,500 student-athletes, the largest such program of any Division II conference.

-NE-10-

Sunday, November 1
Quarterfinals - at Higher Seed
Match 1: #8 Saint Anselm 1, #8 So. New Hampshire 0
Match 2: #2 Le Moyne 1, #6 Bentley 0
Match 3: #3 Franklin Pierce 0, #6 Assumption 0 (Franklin Pierce Advances 4-2 PK's)
Match 4: #4 So. Connecticut 2, #5 Merrimack 1

Wednesday, November 4
Semifinals - at Higher Seed
Match 5: #8 Saint Anselm at #4 So. Connecticut - 4 p.m.
Match 6: #3 Franklin Pierce at #2 Le Moyne - 1 p.m.

Saturday, November 7
Championship Final
Match 7: Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner