A pair of semifinal matches on Wednesday will decide who
plays for the 2010 America East men’s soccer crown this weekend. No. 1 Boston University will host No. 5
University of New Hampshire in Boston at 7 p.m. In the other match, the No. 3
Stony Brook University travels to Baltimore to take on the No. 2 UMBC.
In the first semifinal, Boston U. (11-4-1) puts its powerful
offense up against the stout defense of New Hampshire (8-4-5). Led by a pair of
first-team all-conference forwards in Ben Berube and Aaron O’Neal, the Terriers
paced America East in goals scored this season, netting 32 in 16 matches. On
the other side, Wildcat keeper Colin O’Donnell is a two-time America East
Goalkeeper of the Year. This season, O’Donnell has allowed just 0.49 goals per
game and boasts a .889 save percentage to lead the conference in both
categories.
New Hampshire is the only America East team to beat the
Terriers in 2010, dealing Boston U. its lone conference loss in a
double-overtime match in Durham, N.H. on Oct. 23. UNH has played well against
the Terriers in recent years, going 2-1-2 against Boston U. since 2007. That
string includes a pair of 2-1 Wildcat wins in the last two regular-season
meetings between these clubs. The last time these teams met in the postseason,
Nov. 10, 2007, in Boston, New Hampshire advanced on penalty kicks after the
teams played to a scoreless draw.
The other semifinal matchup between UMBC (10-4-2) and Stony
Brook (10-6-3) is a rematch of last season’s America East Championship game. The
Seawolves won that game at home, 2-0. That game came after the Retrievers
topped the Seawolves at LaValle Stadium, 2-0, in the regular season. In 2010,
the Retrievers again won the regular-season meeting, 1-0. That match closed the
season for both squads and clinched the No. 2 seed for the Retrievers in
America East tournament.
The Retriever lineup includes three of the top five scorers
in America East this season. Striker of the Year Levi Houapeu led the
conference with 27 points on 12 goals and three assists. He is accompanied by
First Team All-Conference midfielder Andrew Bulls (21 points; four goals, 13
assists) and Second-Team All-Conference forward Pete Caringi III (17 points;
six goals, five assists). Those three will go against a trio of Seawolves that
can also find of the back of the net. Midfielder of the Year Leonardo
Fernandes, Second Team All-Conference forward Raphael Abreu and forward Berian
Gobeil each taalied six goals in 2010.
Visit Men’s Soccer Championship Central for live video and
live stat links for both games.