BANGOR, ME - The SUNY Poly men's soccer team beat Husson University on Saturday afternoon 2-1 in the North Atlantic Conference Championship. The Wildcats scored on a header from Matthew McCord in 2OT to secure the conference championship. With the win, the Wildcats will move on to the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats improve their record to 13-5-1, as they look to continue their impressive season on the national level.
HOW IT HAPPENED: For the third consecutive game in the postseason, the opposing team struck first as Florida Gasser found the back of the net for Husson in the 21st minute on an assist from Ben Shumway. The Wildcats kept their composure however, and quickly responded in the 28th minute on a penalty kick from Jhonny Theze to even the score at 1-1. The teams would take the tie into halftime.
In the second half, the fast-paced game would continue, with a total of 11 shots taking place between both teams. At the end of regulation, the score would remain 1-1 and the teams would head into the overtime periods.
In the first overtime, SUNY Poly possessed the ball for most of the 10-minute period, and would record three shots on net, but Alex Rechsteiner would make some great saves for the Eagles to keep the game tie.
The Wildcats would waste no time in the second overtime however, scoring in the 102nd minute on a beautiful header from Matthew McCord on a perfectly placed ball from Thomas Nimineh on a corner kick. The Eagles would have a chance late, as they hit the crossbar as time was ticking down, but the Wildcats would hold on to keep their season alive.
For their incredible postseason play, the Wildcats landed four players on the All-Tournament Team. Edward Greene, Payton Bennett, and Matthew McCord all received honors, while Kevin Ryan was named the MVP of the tournament.
The Wildcats will await their fate for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The selection show will be held on Monday, November 6th at 2:00 PM. The selection show can be watched at https://www.ncaa.com.
All-Tournament Team
UMaine-Farmington - Mohamed Adow
UMaine-Farmington - Zach Chaisson
SUNY Delhi - Jaquan Williams
SUNY Delhi - Salvator Meloni
Husson University - Mosi Masimango
Husson University - Hugo Llopiz
Husson University - Miguel Duborjal
SUNY Poly - Edward Greene
SUNY Poly - Payton Bennett
SUNY Poly - Matthew McCord
SUNY Poly - Kevin Ryan - MVP