ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University Men's Soccer team is hoping for a fourth consecutive conference title as they will host No. 5 Hood College in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Commonwealth semifinals on Thursday night at 7:00 PM.
The Knights earned the top seed in their first-ever postseason appearance as a member of the MAC with the conference record of 7-0-1. Overall, the Knights were one win better than last year's regular season tally with a record of 12-3-2. A balanced scoring attack was led by
Jordan Illian and
Josh Moreland, each scoring five goals each.
Luke Mejia finished with four goals as 16 Neumann players scored at least one.
On the defensive side of the ball,
Seiya Sato had a goals against average of 0.72, a .757 save percentage, and a league second-best seven shutouts. He finished with a personal record of 9-2-2.
As a team, they were tied for the least goals given up in the conference with 13 while the defense only allowed 35 shots on goal, which was the lowest in the Commonwealth. Right now, the Knights are sitting on an eight-match unbeaten streak.
Their opponents, the Hood College Blazers, are 8-9-1 overall and finished with a conference record of 3-4-1. In Tuesday's play-in game against No. 4 Widener, they eliminated the Pride with a 3-1 road victory. Their lone meeting this season against Neumann was the season's finale last Saturday as the Knights clinched the top seed with a 1-0 win, thanks to a 57
th minute goal by
Jordan Illian.
The other semifinal features No. 2 Messiah University and No. 3 York College of Pennsylvania whereas the winners will meet in the MAC Commonwealth Championship game on Saturday, at the home of the highest remaining seed. The champions will then move on to the NCAA Division III National Tournament with the automatic bid.
Tickets for Thursday's semifinal match will be available at the gate and at the link below:
● Adults - $10
● Senior Citizens (65+) - $5
● Youth (7-17) - $5
● MAC Students (valid ID) and Children 0-6 - FREE
Link for Semifinal Tickets
