BOSTON – For the first time in program history, the Emmanuel men's soccer program has clinched the No. 1 seed and home field advantage in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Postseason, thanks to a 2-0 win over the Albertus Magnus Falcons on Tuesday night at Clemente Field.
The Falcons entered Tuesday night's match needing just a draw to earn the top seed for the postseason, while the Saints only path to the top of the table was a victory. The win for Emmanuel moves them to 10-5-3 (9-2-1 GNAC), while the loss drops the Falcons to 11-6-2 (8-2-2 GNAC).
Emmanuel opened the scoring in the 18
th minute with sophomore
Jaylen Goodall scoring his second of the season. The attack began with sophomore
Lucas Silvia playing a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Goodall. Two touches later, Goodall slid a right-footed shot into the left side netting, giving the Saints a 1-0 lead.
The lead doubled just before halftime on the first career collegiate goal for first-year
Ollie Young. The play began with first-year
Tyler Shelton sending junior
Jacob Beck into the penalty area with a pass behind the back line. Beck one-timed a cutback pass, which found the sliding foot of Young, who scored into an empty net, doubling the lead.
The home team kept Albertus away from their goal for much of the match, allowing just three shots on goal from the Falcons. The best chance of the night came on a deflected shot from 20 yards out, but Saints sophomore goalie
Ivan Gonzalez made a diving stop to his right, preserving the clean sheet.
Prior to tonight, the highest seed the Saints have ever been was the fourth seed, coming in 2024, when the program hosted its first-ever postseason playoff game. The 9-2-1 GNAC record, which earned them 28 points in the table, beat out Albertus's 26 points and the 25-point totals of Rivier and the University of Saint Joseph.
The Saints have won seven straight matches, setting a new program record for the longest winning streak, beating a six-match winning streak in 2024. Emmanuel is also unbeaten in its last 10 matches, equaling the program record for the longest unbeaten run with the 2022 team, which produced a 5-0-5 stretch during the season.
Emmanuel opens the GNAC Postseason with a quarterfinal match on Saturday, Oct. 31, hosting Regis at 3:30 p.m. The Saints lost 3-2 in the regular season meeting at Regis on Sept. 19.
