Men's Soccer Will Host Regis in NECC Semifinals

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The top-seeded Elms College men's soccer will host Regis College in the New England Collegiate Conference Championship semifinals Friday evening at Leary Field. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m.

The Blazers earned the top seed, and first-round bye, in the NECC conference tournament after compiling an 8-7-3 overall record, and a 5-1-1 mark in the NECC. Elms closed the regular season with a 4-1-1 record over the final six games, posting wins over Newbury (1-0) and Southern Vermont (1-0). The Blazers are generating 2.1 goals per game on 18.5 shots, while limiting opponents to 1.16 goals on 14.1 shots.

Junior defender Connor O'Grady (Somers, Conn.) has been leading the Blazers in offense with a team-high 19 points with six goals and a team-high seven assists. O'Grady is tied for the league lead in assists, and ranks second in the NECC in points. Junior midfielder Lorenzo Rolocut (Somers, Conn.) and freshman forward Bobby Zaino (Avon, Conn.) have added 15 points apiece, with Rolocut recording five goals and five assists, while Zaino has netted a team-high seven goals. Senior midfielder Thomas Rivers (Fayetteville, N.C.) has tallied four goals, and junior forward Safa Saady (Chicopee, Mass.) has netted three goals. Senior forward Joseph Coleman (Easthampton, Mass.), junior midfielder Patrick Goonan (Chicopee, Mass.), and freshman midfielder CJ Dabkowski (Springfield, Mass.) had chipped in two goals each. The Blazers have rotated the trio of juniors Ryan Harris (Jackson, Miss.), Christian Kostka (Oxford, Conn.), and Nick Pennant (St. Andrew, Jamaica) in goal, where the three have combined for a 1.12 goals against average, a .825 save percentage with 99 saves and four shutouts.

The Pride own a 9-10 record on the season, with a 4-3 mark in conference play to claim the fifth-seed in the conference tournament. Regis advanced to the semifinals with a 3-2 win over fourth-seeded Mitchell College on a last minute goal from freshman midfielder Chandler Neiswanger (Roy, Utah). The Pride produced 2.0 goals on 14.4 shots per game, while holding opponents to 1.63 goals per game on 14 shots.

Regis College is paced by the duo of sophomore forward Don Gomez (Lynn, Mass.) and freshman defender Brendan Plasczynski (Bristol, Conn.), who have each potted seven goals with two assists on the season. Sophomore forward Dillon Lanctot (Somersworth, N.H.) has recorded four goals with a team-high five assists, while junior midfielder Renato Rosas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and freshman midfielder Amandio Ferreira (Dorchester, Mass.) have contributed three goals each. Sophomore goalkeeper Manny Calderon (Bristol, Conn.) has served as the Pride's primary keeper, registering a 1.80 goals against average, a .750 save percentage, with 81 saves. Calderon ranks fourth in the NECC in saves, and fifth in goals against average.

Earlier this season, the Blazers captured a 2-1 victory over the Pride in their conference season opener behind a pair of goals from Zaino. Over the history of the matchup, Elms owns a 4-1 edge over Regis, winning the last two matches after the Pride picked up their first victory over the Blazers in 2012.

ELMS SOCCER