BOSTON – Vermont came through with a road victory to take over sole possession of first place in the #AEMSOC Standings while UMBC earned a second straight victory to jump up the standings into third with only one game remaining in the regular season.
Vermont escaped with a 2-1 road victory at UMass Lowell, capped off by a spectacular save from Niklas Herceg in the final five seconds to hold on to the win and take over first with 13 points. UMBC, meanwhile, edged Bryant 1-0 to overtake the Bulldogs in the standings and move into third.
Need to Know:
- New Hampshire had to play a man down for the entire second half while getting outshot 17-2, but managed a 0-0 draw with NJIT. The Wildcats enter the weekend in second with 11 points.
- In the final game of the weekend, Binghamton and UAlbany played to a 1-1 tie as each stayed in playoff contention.
- Entering the final game date, four teams have qualified for the playoffs while any of the other four could theoretically still make the six-team field.
- Vermont (13 pts) could earn its first regular season title since 2019 with a victory on Tuesday against Binghamton (7 pts). The Catamounts also could clinch the top seed with a tie or a loss depending on other results in the league. Binghamton, meanwhile, need a win to guarantee a playoffs spot.
- New Hampshire (11 pts) hosts UMass Lowell (5 pts) at 6 p.m. The Wildcats would secure a top-two seed with a win, while the River Hawks are in search of their first playoff appearance since 2019.
- UMBC (10 pts) looks to make it three straight wins at home against NJIT (8 pts). The Retrievers still have a chance at the No. 1 seed with a victory, while NJIT could finish anywhere from the No. 2 seed to eliminated from playoff contention depending on Tuesday’s result.
- UAlbany (4 pts) welcomes Bryant (9 pts) at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs would secure at least one home playoff game with a victory, while the Great Danes need a victory and a lot of help to sneak into the final playoff berth.
- The #AEMSOC Quarterfinals begin on Nov. 9.
2024 #AEMSOC Weekly Award Winners – Nov. 4
Offensive Player of the Week
Giuseppe Indelicato, UMBC – Gr., Defender, Favara, Italy
- Scored the lone goal in the 72nd minute in a 1-0 victory at Bryant.
- Tapped in a goal off a corner kick for a 1-0 lead as UMBC moved to third in the #AEMSOC Standings over Bryant.
- This is Indelicato’s first career #AEMSOC Offensive Player of the Week honor.
Defensive Player of the Week
Erik Lauta, New Hampshire – Jr., Goalkeeper, Elche, Spain
- Recorded a six-save shutout draw against NJIT, as UNH played down a man for the final 50 minutes.
- Made five second-half saves including a diving stop of a penalty shot to secure the clean sheet.
- This is Erik Lauta’s second #AEMSOC Defensive Player of the Week honor this season.
Rookie of the Week
Niklas Herceg, Vermont – Fr., Goalkeeper, Alsdorf, Germany
- Had a season-high seven saves in a 2-1 victory over UMass Lowell.
- Make a diving stop in the final five seconds to preserve the victory and keep UVM atop the #AEMSOC standings.
- This is Herceg’s third #AEMSOC Rookie of the Week honor.
Links
2024 #AEMSOC Weekly Award Winners
Aug. 26 – Co-Offensive Player of the Week: Sergio Martinez Cubel, NJIT; Co-Offensive Player of the Week: Joseph Picotto, UMBC; Defensive Player of the Week: JR Gawel, UMass Lowell; Rookie of the Week: Matteo Costa, UMass Lowell
Sept. 3 - Offensive Player of the Week: Ibrahim Conde, New Hampshire; Defensive Player of the Week: Lou Liedtka, Vermont; Rookie of the Week: Andrew Araya, NJIT
Sept. 9 – Offensive Player of the Week: Matthew Goncalves, New Hampshire; Defensive Player of the Week: Devin Armstrong, NJIT; Rookie of the Week: Andrew Araya, NJIT
Sept. 16 – Offensive Player of the Week: Maximilian Kissel, Vermont; Defensive Player of the Week: Erik Lauta, New Hampshire; Rookie of the Week: Samori Matteo, UMBC
Sept. 23 - Offensive Player of the Week: Marcell Papp, Vermont; Defensive Player of the Week: Lou Liedtka, Vermont; Rookie of the Week: Ryan Gillon, Binghamton
Sept. 30 - Offensive Player of the Week: Cristian Guirado, Bryant; Defensive Player of the Week: JR Gawel, UMass Lowell; Rookie of the Week: Matteo Costa, UMass Lowell
Oct. 7 - Offensive Player of the Week: Maximilian Kissel, Vermont; Defensive Player of the Week: JR Gawel, UMass Lowell; Rookie of the Week: Eric Sadlocha, NJIT
Oct. 14 - Offensive Player of the Week: Ander Castillo, UAlbany; Defensive Player of the Week: Zach Barrett, Vermont; Rookie of the Week: Niklas Herceg, Vermont
Oct. 21 - Offensive Player of the Week: Ibrahim Conde, New Hampshire; Defensive Player of the Week: Dylan McDermott, Binghamton; Rookie of the Week: Niklas Herceg, Vermont
Oct. 28 - Offensive Player of the Week: Matthew Goncalves, New Hampshire; Defensive Player of the Week: Emigdio Tormo Lopez, UMBC; Rookie of the Week: Arian Recinos, New Hampshire
Nov. 4 - Offensive Player of the Week: Giuseppe Indelicato, UMBC; Defensive Player of the Week: Erik Lauta, New Hampshire; Rookie of the Week: Niklas Herceg, Vermont
The America East is one of the best men’s soccer conferences in the country. In 2023 the league finished sixth in RPI among all conferences and three teams were selected to the NCAA Tournament. Overall 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 three years. 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.
Fans will once again be able to watch nearly every #AEMSOC contest this season. Select games will air on The AE on ESPN while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -