CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- A chance to play for the America East men's soccer title and subsequent NCAA berth will be at stake during semifinal action on Wednesday. Top-seeded Boston University hosts fifth-seeded University of Hartford in one contest, while second-seeded Stony Brook University entertains sixth-seeded University at Albany in the other. Both games are at 7 p.m. Visit Championship Central for live coverage links.
Boston U. (9-8-1) captured its second straight America East regular-season title and third and the last four years to earn the tournament's No. 1 seed. The Terriers, who are led by the conference's Defender of the Year Kelvin Madzongwe and Rookie of the Year Dominique Badji, are seeking their 12th conference crown.
Hartford (7-8-4), winners of four straight, eliminated defending champion UMBC, 1-0, in the quarterfinals Saturday. The Hawks broke through in the 69th minute when Antobra Amapadu sent a cross to Anthony Santaga, who buried a shot from just in front of the net to give his team the only score of the game. Hartford goalkeeper Luke Citriniti made seven saves to earn his fifth shutout of the season and send his team to the semifinals for the second time in three years.
Boston U. won the regular-season meeting between the two teams, 1-0, on Oct. 1. Badji scored the game's lone goal in the 78th minute. This will be the eighth all-time meeting between the Terriers and Hawks in the league tournament with Boston U. holding a slim 4-3 advantage. Hartford won the last postseason meeting between the two teams, 2-1, in 2009.
Stony Brook (8-6-3) went 7-3-1 over its last 11 games to earn the tournament's No. 2 seed, the same position as in 2009 when it won the conference title. Berian Gobeil Cruz, the Striker of the Year, and Leonardo Fernandes, the Midfielder of the Year, pace a Seawolf attack that averages a league-best 1.41 goals per game.
Albany (6-9-3), winner of back-to-back games for the first time since Sept. 18, advanced to the semifinals in dramatic fashion. The Great Danes scored twice the final three minutes to beat the University of Vermont, 3-2, on Saturday and earned and moved on the to Final Four for the third time in seven years. The Great Danes are seeking their first-ever championship game berth.
The Seawolves and Great Danes played to a scoreless tie on Oct. 12 with each goalkeeper, Adrian Foncette and Stephan Manz, recording shutouts. The two teams have met once in tournament play, in the 2005 semifinals, with Stony Brook winning 2-1 in overtime en route to winning its first-ever conference title.
Wednesday's winners will play in the championship game on either Saturday or Sunday at the highest remaining seed. Game time is to be determined.
2011 America East Men's Soccer Championship
Quarterfinals - Saturday, November 5
No. 6 Albany 3, at No. 3 Vermont 2 -- Box Score
No. 5 Hartford 1, at No. 4 UMBC 0 -- Box Score
Semifinals - Wednesday, November 9
Albany Winner at No. 2 Stony Brook, 7 p.m.
Hartford Winner at No. 1 Boston U., 7 p.m.
Final - Saturday, November 12/Sunday, November 13
Semifinal Winners at Highest Remaining Seed, TBA