NEWTON, Mass. – An exciting and historic men's soccer season will continue, as for the second time in the last three years, Mount Ida College has earned a spot in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Men's Soccer tournament.
The Mustangs (12-6-1), fresh off of an appearance in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinals, have grabbed the #8 seed and will travel to face top-seeded Endicott College on Wednesday at 7:00 pm in Beverly, Mass.
The Gulls (15-2-3) were the top seed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) tournament and were looking to claim the program's first CCC title, but were upset in the championship game at home by #3 Gordon College, who won 2-0 and snapped Endicott's 16-game unbeaten streak that stretched from September 12th to November 7th.
Mount Ida has shown a penchant for playing in tight games this year, as the Mustangs have ten wins by one goal and are 10-4 in one-goal games. Mount Ida is 4-1-1 in overtime affairs while Endicott is unbeaten in overtime, with two wins and three draws.
Scouting Mount Ida
Heading into the game, Mount Ida will boast seven All-Conference selections, including the newly named GNAC Offensive Player of the Year in senior Carlos Martinez (Chelsea, Mass.), Rookie of the Year in striker Juan Brenes (Santo Domingo, D.R.) and Coach of the Year Joe Campbell, who earned the award for the second time in the last three years, matching the Mustang's ECAC history.
Martinez and Brenes scored nine goals apiece for the Mustangs this year, with freshman Alexi Flores (Central Falls, R.I.) adding five goals and four assists en route to a Second Team All-Conference nod.
Defensively, the Mustangs will look to the veteran presence of Luke Puglsey (Milton, Mass.), Tyler Grothusen (Ramsey, N.J.) and Shawn Bernardo (Peabody, Mass.), while sophomore Riley Ford (Guilderland, N.Y.) figures to make his 18th appearance in goal after posting a 10-6-1 record and earning a Third Team All-Conference nod yesterday.
Scouting Endicott
The Gulls are led up front by All-CCC First Team senior forward Abdulla Al Khalifa (Riffa, Bahrain), sophomore forward Diego Maillo (Plantation, Fla.), All-CCC Second Team senior Diego Slobotzky (Mexico City, Mexico) and All-CCC First Team senior Shintaroh Itoh (Nerma, Tokyo). Al Khalifa leads the team with nine goals, three assists, and 21 points, and he is fourth in the CCC in scoring, while Slobotzky and Maillo each have seven goals on the year and a combined seven assists.
Endicott also boasts CCC Defensive Player of the Year in sophomore back Carter Ocko (Danvers, Mass.). He and junior goalie Nick Weinstein (Trumbull, Conn.) were a big part of a Gulls defense that posted 13 shutouts, including 8 consecutive shutouts from September 12th through October 10th. Endicott has allowed just nine goals this year.
Matchup History
This is the first ever meeting between the two programs. Mount Ida has been competing at the NCAA level in men's soccer since 1999, while Endicott began their program in 1994 and was a member of the GNAC from 1995-98, winning the '98 GNAC title before departing for the CCC, while Mount Ida would join the GNAC nine years later.
ECAC Tournament History
Mount Ida made their first and only other ECAC trip in 2013, where they earned the #6 seed and drew Worcester State in the quarterfinal round. The Mustangs took a 1-0 lead into halftime but saw the Lancers score twice in the second half and end Mount Ida's season with a 2-1 defeat.
This is the third ECAC appearance for the Gulls, who are the reigning champions in this tournament, defeating Colby-Sawyer in overtime in last year's final in Beverly.
How to Watch
Live Stats: http://mountidamustangs.com/sports/msoc/2015-16/boxscores/20151111_ks8u.xml
Video: http://mountidamustangs.com/links/ayuxb9