Men's Soccer

Connecticut College to Host Remaining Rounds of the NESCAC Men’s Soccer Championship

HADLEY, Mass. – The Connecticut College Camels will host the remaining rounds of the NESCAC Men’s Soccer Championship for the first time in program history. No. 3 Tufts takes on No. 4 Middlebury in the first semifinal on Saturday, November 6 at 11 a.m. while the top-seeded Camels will face No. 7 Colby in the other semifinal match. The winners will play for the NESCAC title on Sunday, November 7 at noon.
 
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2021 NESCAC MEN’S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, October 30 at Higher Seeds
Quarterfinal Games
No. 1 Connecticut College def. No. 8 Williams, 2-1
No. 7 Colby tied No. 2 Amherst, 0-0 (2OT) (Colby advances, 4-3, PKs)
No. 3 Tufts def. No. 6 Bowdoin, 3-0
No. 4 Middlebury tied No. 5 Wesleyan, 0-0 (2OT)  (Middlebury advances, 5-4, PKs)
 
Saturday, November 6 at Connecticut College
Semifinal Games
No. 4 Middlebury vs. No. 3 Tufts - 11 a.m.
No. 7 Colby at No. 1 Connecticut College - 1:30 p.m.
 
Sunday, November 7 at Connecticut College
Final - 12 p.m.
Semifinal Winners

Connecticut College secured home-field advantage with a 2-1 victory over No. 8 Williams in the quarterfinals. Junior Alex Robles picked up the assist on both goals as the Camels took a 2-0 lead after scoring in the 45th and 56th minutes. Williams cut the lead to one in the 66th minute, but the Camel defense held off the Ephs the rest of the way. Sophomore Rye Jaran ranks among the conference leaders in the NESCAC with 13 points on five goals and three assists while classmate Jake Gehron has 10 points on five markers. Junior goalie Sam Maidenberg is fourth among NESCAC goalkeepers with a 0.67 goals against average and has made 58 saves this season. The Camels have one of the top offenses in the league, scoring 29 goals while allowing 11 through 16 games. Connecticut College enters the semifinals having won five straight games and owns a 5-1 record at home this season.

Colby (7-7-2) has reached the semifinal round for the second time in three tournaments after upsetting No. 2 Amherst in a penalty kick shootout, 4-3. Sophomore goalkeeper Noah Jackson made five saves in 110 minutes and came up with two stops in the shootout to propel the Mules past the Mammoths. Junior Josh Rubin and sophomore Ethan Franco provide Colby with a potent 1-2 offensive punch. Rubin leads the NESCAC in goals (9) and points (20) while Franco ranks third in goals (8) and fourth in points (18). The last time the Mules played in a semifinal was in 2018 as a No. 8 seed and they went on to capture the program’s first and only NESCAC crown.

Connecticut College and Colby have never met in the NESCAC Tournament. The Camels earned a 1-0 win in the third game of the season on September 19. Djerdjaj scored in the opening minutes of the second half and the defense made the goal stand for the Camels.

Tufts (11-1-3) is making its second straight semifinal appearance and third in four tournaments after a 3-0 victory over Bowdoin in the quarterfinals. Three different Jumbos scored in the contest and first-year Erik Lauta made five saves. Senior Matti Cano ranks second in the NESCAC in scoring with 15 points on six goals and three assists. Classmate Calvin Aroh has also scored six goals this season contributing to one of the top-scoring offenses in the NESCAC (29 team goals). Lauta ranks second among NESCAC goalkeepers with a 0.44 goals against average and has started 14 of the 15 games this season. The Jumbos are the defending NESCAC Champion having won their second title in three years in 2019.

Middlebury (10-3-3) advanced to the semifinals for the sixth time in seven tournaments by winning a penalty kick shootout over No. 5 Wesleyan, 5-4. Sophomores Jordan Saint-Louis and Ryan Grady lead the Panthers’ offense and defense, respectively. Saint-Louis ranks among the league leaders in goals (6), assists (4), and points (16) while Grady is one of the best in the conference with a 0.35 goals against average and 10 shutouts. The Panthers are unbeaten in their last four matches (2-0-2).

The Tufts/Middlebury match is a re-match of the 2019 NESCAC Championship game, that the Jumbos won 2-1. However, the Panthers are 5-2-0 against Tufts in the NESCAC Championship series. Goals may be hard to come by in the second semifinal as Middlebury and Tufts rank 1-2 in goals allowed. The Panthers have surrendered a league-low six goals, while Tufts’ opponents have scored seven times in 15 games. The regular-season match on October 10 ended in a scoreless draw despite Middlebury playing a man down for nearly all of the second half.

Links to live stats and video for all games are available via the NESCAC Scoreboard at NESCAC.com. Results from the will be posted on NESCAC.com at the end of each day.