Men's Soccer Falls In NECC Quarterfinal

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College men's soccer team saw its 2018 season come to a close on Tuesday after falling 2-0 to New England College in the New England Collegiate Conference quarterfinal on Leary Field.

Elms ends its season with a 5-13-1 record while NEC improves to 7-7-4 and will face top-seeded Newbury College in the NECC semifinal on Nov. 2.

The Pilgrims got on the board 28 minutes into the game with an own goal. The mishap occurred when a Blazer player attempted to head an NEC corner kick out of the box but the ball instead ricocheted directly into the back of the net.

NEC added an insurance goal in the 67th minute when Badran Saeed (Upper Marlboro, Md.) fired a missile from 35 yards out that was bound for goal the moment it left his foot.

The Pilgrims held a slim 9-8 advantage in shots and a 7-2 lead in shots on goal in the game. NEC also led 5-2 in corner kicks. Robbie Ferguson (Hopkinton, N.H.) made two saves and picked up the win for NEC while AJ Oliveira (Beacon Falls, Conn.) had five saves in the losing effort for Elms. Shaquille Robinson (New York, N.Y.) led Elms with three shots.