The final day of the America East men's soccer regular-season saw UMBC wrap up its second-straight regular-season title with a 2-0 win over Stony Brook and Albany earn the final spot in the tournament with a 1-0 win over Binghamton. The rest of the tournament field had already been decided but the bracket was also finalized on the last day of the regular season as No. 2 seeded Hartford, No. 3 Binghamton, No. 4 Albany, No. 5 Vermont and No. 6 Stony Brook round out the field.
The championship begins on Saturday, Nov. 8 with quarterfinal action. Albany hosts Vermont at 11 a.m. while third-seeded Binghamton entertains sixth-seeded Stony Brook at 6 p.m. The teams that advance will play in the semifinal round on Wednesday, Nov. 12 with the Albany-Vermont winner playing at top-seeded UMBC and the Binghamton-Stony Brook winner playing at second-seeded Hartford. Both semifinal games will be at 7 p.m. The semifinal winners will meet for the America East title and a trip to the NCAA tournament on either Nov. 16 or 17. All games will be streamed live for free at AmericaEast.TV.
Albany (4-8-6, 2-4-1, 7 pts AE) got a goal from Afonso Pinheiro in the 38th minute and held off Binghamton (5-13-0, 3-4-0, 9 pts) to earn the final spot in the tournament field. The loss snapped the Great Danes' six-game winless streak.
UMBC (10-5-3, 6-0-1, 19 pts) shut out Stony Brook (4-13-1, 2-5-0, 6 pts), 2-0, behind goals from Malcom Harris ('31) and Marquez Fernandes ('69). The Retrievers, who are seeking their third-straight league title and fourth in five years, are beaten in their last 23 games against America East foes. The Seawolves earned the No. 6 seed by virtue of its win over New Hampshire earlier in the season.
The Wildcats (6-10-1, 2-5-0, 6) beat Vermont 7-8-2, 2-4-1, 7 pts), 2-0, Friday but will miss the tournament for the first time since 2011. The Catamounts will be seeded fifth and face Albany for the second-straight year in the tournament.
Hartford (10-5-2, 5-2-0, 15 pts) beat UMass Lowell (8-9-1, 4-2-1, 13 pts) in double overtime to finish in second place in the league standings, its best finish since 2001. The Hawks will be the No. 2 seed for the tournament. The River Hawks finish their second season in the league in third place, but are ineligible for the tournament due to their Division I transition.
Visit America East's Championship Central throughreaction.out the tournament for previews, links to in-game coverage, including free live video, and postgame
2014 America East Men's Soccer Championship
Quarterfinals - Saturday, November 8
No. 5 Vermont at No. 4 Albany, 11 a.m.
No. 6 Stony Brook at No. 3 Binghamton, 6 p.m.
Semifinals - Wednesday, November 12
Albany/Vermont Winner at No. 1 UMBC, 7 p.m.
Binghamton/HStony Brook Winner at No. 2 Hartford, 7 p.m.
Final - Saturday, November 15/Sunday, November 16
Semifinal Winners at Highest Remaining Seed, TBA