CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The 2008 America East Men's Soccer Championship begins on Saturday with a pair of quarterfinal matchups.
Fourth-seeded Vermont (8-3-7 Overall, 4-1-3 America East) will host fifth-seeded Hartford (7-7-3, 4-1-2) at Centennial Field at 1 p.m in one quarterfinal. Third-seeded Binghamton (10-5-3, 5-3-0) takes on sixth-seed New Hampshire at Bearcats Sports Complex at 7 p.m. Ticket information, streaming video and live stats can be found at America East Championship Central.
The defending champion Catamounts downed the Hawks 1-0 just 10 days ago (Oct. 29) on freshman Lukas Peterson's header in the 68th minutes. Vermont's defense, led by Defender of the Year and second-team all-conference goalkeeper Roger Scully, has allowed just six goals in their last 18 games against league foes, including three during this season's eight-game slate.
The Hawks return to the conference tournament for the second straight year after missing the previous three championships. Junior forward Carlos Villa, a first-team All-America East choice, leads the league with 11 goals.
The Bearcats, the champion in 2003 and 2006, is led by a defense that ranks fifth in the country in team goals against average (0.54) and has allowed just two goals in their last six games. All-conference backs Barry Neville and Kyle Manscuk key the defense, along with Jason Stenta, who ranks fifth in the nation in goals against average (0.54) and save percentage (.894).
The Wildcats rallied to beat UMBC 3-2 on October 29 with two goals in the game's final five minutes to clinch the sixth and final spot in the field. Senior Richard Weinrebe tied the contest with 4:05 remaining and Dylan George drove home the game-winner with 2:36 left. Senior midfielder Kyle Urso earned first-team All-America East honors for the Wildcats, while freshman Brad Hilton garnered all-rookie accolades.
The winner of Binghamton and New Hampshire will face No. 2 Albany in one semifinal on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. Top-seeded Boston University will host the winner of Hartford and Vermont in the other semifinal on November 12 at 7 p.m. The championship game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 15 or Sunday, Nov. 16 at the higher seed.
2008 America East Men’s Soccer Championship
Quarterfinals ? Saturday, November 8
No. 5 Hartford at No. 4 Vermont, 1 p.m.
No. 6 New Hampshire at No. 3 Binghamton, 7 p.m.
Semifinals ? Wednesday, November 12
Winner New Hampshire/Binghamton at No. 2 Albany, 1 p.m.
Winner Hartford/Vermont at No. 1 Boston University, 7 p.m.
Finals ? Saturday, November 15 or Sunday, November 16
Semifinals Winners, TBD (at higher seed)