ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University men's soccer team continues its quest for an Atlantic East Conference title on Saturday afternoon as it travels to Cabrini University for its second championship game appearance in three seasons.
 
The third seeded Knights entered the playoffs with a regular season record of 3-2-1. The team advanced to the semifinal round after prevailing by a score of 4-2 over sixth seeded Marywood University in the opening round of the playoffs. Neumann was led in the first round by senior Marlon Trejo, who scored twice and added an assist in the win. Sam Clavijo and Jake Kuzmick also scored for the Knights, who received five saves in goal from Seth Walker.

In the semifinals the Knights overcame a halftime deficit at Immaculata University, battling back from 1-0 down to prevail by a score of 2-1. Chris Siemien tied the contest just over two minutes into the second half, then an excellent individual effort from Eddie Proud with ten minutes remaining gave Neumann a 2-1 lead that it would not relinquish.

Top seeded Cabrini advanced to Saturday's championship game after a first round bye, followed by a tight 1-0 win over Marymount University on Tuesday evening. The Cavaliers steamrolled through the Atlantic East regular season, going undefeated in conference play with a 6-0 record.

The Knights will be hoping for a different result than the two teams' earlier meeting this season, as the Cavaliers took home a 4-1 victory in Radnor on October 15^th. Kuzmick scored the lone goal of the game for Neumann in the loss.

The 2021 final will be the second time in three years that Neumann and Cabrini have met in the title game. The Knights will be looking for a repeat of the 2018 final played in Aston, when Neumann took home the first ever Atlantic East championship with a 3-1 win. The Knights and Cavaliers also met in the 2008 Colonial States Athletic Conference championship game, where Cabrini took home a 2-0 win.
 
Neumann has been led all season offensively by senior Marlon Trejo, who leads the team with 10 goals and five assists. Trejo's 25 points this season rank him second in the conference. Clavijo and Yinger have also been excellent in their rookie seasons. Clavijo tops the Atlantic East with seven goals in conference play, while Yinger ranks fifth in the conference in points in conference play with seven (3 g, 2a). The Knights have also received outstanding contributions from midfielders Alex Lopez-Luna, Eddie Proud, Connor Ryan and Chris Siemien.
 
Defensively, the team has been guided by outstanding goalkeeping from Seth Walker. The junior leads the conference with five shutouts overall, including three in conference play. He also ranks second in goals against average in conference play (1.12 gaa). Alex Duopu, Edwin Guerrero and Gabe Romero have also been stalwarts on the Neumann back-line, each starting every conference contest.
 
The winner of Saturday's contest will receive an automatic berth into the 2021 NCAA men's soccer tournament. The selection show for the tournament is scheduled for Monday, November 8^th at 1:30 PM.