UNH Wins First-Ever #AEMSOC Title; Hosts Colgate in NCAA 1st Round Thursday
DURHAM, N.H. – For the first time ever, New Hampshire is the America East men’s soccer champion. The second-seeded Wildcats scored an America East championship game record five goals to beat fifth-seeded UMBC, 5-0, Sunday at UNH’s Wildcat Stadium to claim their first conference title in 31 seasons.
With the win, New Hampshire earned the conference’s automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship and will host Colgate in the first round Thursday, Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium. UNH reached the third round of the NCAAs last season.
Josh Bauer was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding player after scoring UNH’s first goal Sunday and leading a defensive unit that did not allow a goal all championship.
New Hampshire (12-3-2) wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Bauer, the America East Defensive Player of the Year, headed home a throw in from Jonny Wolf to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead 4:32 into the game.
Alex Valencia, an All-Championship selection, made it 2-0 UNH just 1:23 later as he blasted home a shot from 15 yards out. Valencia set up the third goal as Linus Fallberg took the feed and scored from six yards out in the 18th minute.
The Wildcats, who led 3-0 at the half, scored twice more in the second half on goals by Kyle Brewster (‘49) and Jack Doherty (’57) to wrap up the 5-0 win.
Lars Huxsohl, the America East Goalkeeper of the Year, made three saves in net and earned All-Championship recognition after not allowing a goal all tournament.
Valencia and Fallberg each had a goal and two assists to pace the Wildcats, who have won four straight games.
Bauer, Huxsohl and Valencia were joined on the All-Championship team by teammate Antonio Colacci, UMBC’s Jon Bell, Jordan Dove and Kyle Saunderson, UMass Lowell’s Owen Miller and Roko Prsa, Stony Brook’s Arni Jakobsson and Martieon Watson, Albany’s Danny Vitiello and Vermont’s Jonathan Bryant.
New Hampshire’s Nick Miller earned the conference's Elite 18 honor for men’s soccer by having the highest GPA among participating student-athletes in the championship game. The senior carries a 3.90 GPA majoring in biomed sciences.
Visit Championship Central for box scores, highlights and recaps to all 2018 America East Men's Soccer Championship games.
2018 America East Men’s Soccer Championship
All Games at Higher Seed
Quarterfinals – Saturday, November 3
#5 UMBC 1, at #4 Vermont 1(2OT)
UMBC advances on PKs, 5-4
at #3 UMass Lowell 1, #6 UAlbany 0
Semifinals – Wednesday, November 7
#5 UMBC 1, at #1 Stony Brook 0
at #2 New Hampshire 2, #3 UMass Lowell 0
Final – Sunday, November, 11
at #2 New Hampshire 5, #5 UMBC 0
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