BOSTON, Mass – For the fifth consecutive season, the America East Men’s Soccer Championship will be played in Durham, as top seed New Hampshire rolled past Binghamton 3-0 on Thursday night. They’ll host #3 seed UAlbany, who stunned #2 seed Vermont 1-0 with a late goal to clinch the win.
The Great Danes held the Catamounts off the board in the first half, despite being outshot 7-1. They finally broke through with a goal in the 81st minute for a 1-0 lead and held off a furious UVM attack over the final five minutes. The Wildcats scored just two minutes into the contest for the early lead. They added a pair of goals in the second half to secure the shutout as UNH reached its fifth consecutive championship game.
Sunday’s championship contest at UNH will be played at 2 p.m. The Wildcats are seeking their fourth conference championship in the last five years, while UAlbany looks for its first since winning back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017.
Semifinal Recap
#1 New Hampshire 3, #5 Binghamton 0
- Eli Goldman provided the Wildcats a 1-0 cushion just 1:51 into the contest as he finished off cross from Johann von Knebel with a header into the back of the net.
- In the 56th minute, Binghamton goalkeeper Mats Roorda made a nice save on a breakaway to keep the score 1-0.
- Moise Bombito made it 2-0 in the 59th minute on a header off a corner kick by Jamie Davis.
- The Wildcats stretched their lead to 3-0 at 71:26 as Paul Mayer finished off a shot in front on passes from von Knebel and Chris Pinkham.
#3 UAlbany 1, #2 Vermont 0
- Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the first half, though Vermont held a 7-1 advantage in shots.
- Shafique Wilson and the UAlbany defense came up with a pair of point-blank saves in the 74th minute to keep the contest scoreless.
- The Great Danes scored the only goal they would need at 80:17 as Elias Elhin crossed a ball into the six for Jeff Thielmann, who one-timed it into the corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.
- UVM put multiple balls into the 18 over the final eight minutes but couldn’t net an equalizer. Wilson finished with five saves in the contest.
Stay up-to-date on the tournament by visiting Championship Central for streaming and live stats links as well as box scores, highlights and recaps following each round in addition to team information, tournament history and more.
America East is one of the best men’s soccer conferences in the country. Four teams have reached the third round of the NCAA tournament since 2014, including UMBC getting all the way to the College Cup in 2014. The conference has received multiple bids to the NCAA tournament in three of last seven seasons, including in 2021 when both UNH and league champion Vermont received bids.
Follow @AmericaEast on Twitter and Instagram to get the real-time championship updates. Use the #AEChamps and #AEMSOC hashtags to join the conversation.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.
– Building the Complete Student-Athlete –