BOSTON – It was a wild day in the #AEMSOC Quarterfinals as No. 6 Binghamton and No. 5 NJIT both came away with upset victories on the road.
The Highlanders opened the afternoon with a dramatic 2-1 victory over No. 4 UVM, as they never trailed and held off a late surge to secure their third trip to the semifinals in the last four seasons. In the nightcap, Binghamton and UMBC were scoreless for nearly 80 minutes, but the Bearcats tallied a late goal and withstood a furious last-second barrage of shots to escape with the win.
No. 5 NJIT will play top seed New Hampshire on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 6 p.m., while No. 6 Binghamton will travel to No. 2 Bryant for a 7 p.m. matchup on Nov. 8.
Quarterfinal Recap
#5 NJIT 2, #4 Vermont 1 – Box Score
- It was a scoreless battle through the first 40 minutes, but NJIT broke through in the 42nd minute on beautiful set piece. Maximus Barboto sent a free kick into the middle of the six where Goncalo Franco headed home the goal.
- Just seven minutes into the second half, the Highlanders added to their lead. Hugo Tavares one-timed a cross from Asembo Augo to make it 2-0.
- Vermont went on the aggressive over the final 30 minutes of action. The Catamounts finally pulled within one in the 78th minute as Yaniv Bazini put home his 8th goal of the year.
- The Catamounts continued to press over the final 12 minutes, but the NJIT defense held firm as UVM concluded the period with 18 total shots and seven corner kicks.
- Samuel Reisgys finished with five saves to secure the win for the Highlanders.
#6 Binghamton 1, #3 UMBC 0 – Box Score
- Neither team was able to score in the opening half. However, four minutes into the second half Taylor Calheira drew a penalty in the box. On the penalty kick, h went for the corner but Dylan McDermott made the diving save.
- McDermott added another impressive save 15 minutes later to deny shot headed for the upper corner.
- Markos Touroukis gave Binghamton the only goal they would need with 11:16 remaining on a one-timer from the top of the 18.
- The Bearcats held off a furious rally in the final 30 seconds, facing multiple shots on net and a corner kick by the Retrievers.
- McDermott made four saves to earn the shutout victory.
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.
The America East is one of the best men’s soccer conferences in the country. The conference has received multiple bids to the NCAA tournament in four of the past eight seasons, with Vermont and New Hampshire reaching each of the past two years. Overall, four different teams have reached the third round of the NCAA tournament since 2014, highlighted by UMBC getting all the way to the College Cup in 2014.
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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.
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