UTICA, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly men's soccer team found out their NCAA Tournament fate on Monday afternoon during the NCAA Selection Show. The Wildcats drew Amherst College from Massachusetts in their first-round matchup. They will play on Saturday, November 11th, at 11:00 AM. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is the regional host and will have SUNY Poly, Amherst, and Stevens Institute of Technology in their bracket.
The Wildcats return to the NCAA Tournament for the 5th time under coach Peterson Jerome. The Wildcats currently have a 13-5-1 record on the season and did not lose during North Atlantic Conference play, finishing with a 7-0-1 record. The Wildcats will look to their strong back line in Kevin Ryan and Matthew McCord to keep the Mammoths' attacks at a minimum. Offensively, look for All-Conference honorees Abus Mohamed Ali and Thomas Nimineh to give the Wildcats scoring chances.
They will face off against the Amherst Mammoths, who are no strangers to the NCAA Tournament. The Mammoths have been to the NCAA Tournament every year under coach Justin Serpone, including winning the school's first NCAA Men's Soccer National Championship in 2015. The Mammoths currently hold a 13-2-3 record and finished 6-1-3 in conference play. The Mammoths are led by freshman Mohammed Nuhu, who registered seven goals and four assists thus far on the season.
The winner of the SUNY Poly vs. Amherst game will face off against the winner of WPI and Stevens on Sunday at 1:00 PM. The winner of the WPI regional will advance to the round of 16 with a site to be determined.