BOSTON - With home field advantage throughout the playoffs in their favor for the first time in program history, the Emmanuel men's soccer program earned a 1-0 victory on Saturday afternoon against the Regis Pride in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Quarterfinals from Clemente Field. The win guarantees the Saints first-ever home semifinal match on Wednesday night.
The only tally of the match came in the 66th minute with the play starting out of the Saints back line. A long pass into the offensive third found the feet of junior
Benjamin Anderson. After a few touches, Anderson slid a perfect pass behind the Pride back line to sophomore
Jaylen Goodall. The Saints midfielder won a race to the ball 10 yards from goal, sliding a shot by the onrushing Pride goalie, and into the back of the net, providing the game's lone goal.
Chances were limited on the afternoon with both teams only recording four shots on frame. Saints sophomore keeper
Ivan Gonzalez earned another clean sheet, making his best save of the day on a near-post shot from 20 yards out by
Joey Davila with under five minutes remaining. Gonzalez's shutout streak has spanned more than three matches, as he has not surrendered a goal in 325 minutes.
With the victory, the Saints improve to 11-5-3 and have won eight matches in a row, extending their program record for longest winning streak. The team is also unbeaten in its last 11 contests, setting a new program best for an unbeaten streak, as the Saints are 10-0-1 in that span. The 11 wins match the program record for most wins in team history, equaling the 11 wins of the 2011 program.Â
The top-seeded Saints welcome the No. 5-seeded Saint Joseph's College Monks on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 7:00 p.m. on Clemente Field. The Monks made their way to the semifinals via a penalty shootout win over the University of Saint Joseph. The Saints and Monks played to a scoreless draw on Clemente on Sept. 15.
The winner on Wednesday night will be in the GNAC Championship match on Saturday, Nov. 7.
