NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. - For the second time in three seasons Southern New Hampshire is the No. 1 seed in the Northeast 10 Men's Soccer Championship. The Penmen claimed the conference's regular season crown with the close of play Wednesday night, earning homefield advantage throughout the league's postseason bracket.
SNHU, the preseason NE10 favorite, has spent the entire season ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 -- mainly in the top five. The Penman have the top offense in the conference and have ranked No. 1 in the nation for much of the fall. With a 52-10 goal differential, SNHU is the only NE10 team to average more than two goals per game this fall (averaging more than three) and the only team to allow fewer than one score.
As the No. 1 seed SNHU earns an opening round bye and will not have to play until the conference semifinals. The No. 1 seed in the bracket has played in the championship final in five straight years and has won the whole thing in four of the last five go-arounds.
American International wins the honor of top upstart in a conference full of great ranking-rising stories. The Jackets, picked seventh preseason, wind up 5-2-2 and hold a headlining seven-goal win against a ranked Franklin Pierce. The Jackets season is their first one with a winning conference record since 2021. Assumption and Saint Anselm also posted outstanding years after being picked 10th and 8th in the league respectively. Assumption got out to a hot start and closed with a strong 1-0 win against Adelphi. Saint Anselm finished scorching, winning four of its final five, including against Franklin Pierce and at Bentley. The win against FPU earned Saint Anselm the tie-break and the No. 4 seed -- and a home game.
The postseason appearances are the first for Saint Anselm since 2023 and for Assumption since 2022.
The NE10 Championship kicks off on Halloween with three opening round titls. Everything builds toward the finale on Saturday, November 7th. All games are broadcast on
FloCollege.
Saturday, October 31st
First Round – at Higher Seeds
Match 1: No. 7 Adelphi at No. 2 American International (7 PM)
Match 2: No. 6 Assumption at No. 3 Bentley (12 PM)
Match 3: No. 5 Franklin Pierce at No. 4 Saint Anselm (1 PM)
Wednesday, November 4th
Semifinals - at Higher Seeds
Match 4: Match 3 winner at No. 1 Southern New Hampshire – 7 PM
Match 5: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner – Time TBD at Higher Seed
Saturday, November 7th
Championship – at Highest Seed
Match 6: Match 4 Winner vs. Match 5 Winner
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season. The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast 10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.