Saint Peter's Faces Iona in MAAC Men's Soccer Final on Sunday
MAAC Sports
Baltimore, Md. - Top-seeded Saint Peter's College will face third-seeded Iona College in the final match of the 2010 Chick-fil-A MAAC Men's Soccer Championship. Game time is slated for a 1:00 p.m. start at the Ridley Athletic Complex on the campus for Loyola University Maryland.
Iona is vying for its first-ever MAAC Men's Soccer Championship title. The Gaels have only made one prior appearance in the MAAC title match, back in 1995, when they fell to Loyola 6-1.
Saint Peter's will be making their fourth appearance in the MAAC Championship final. The Peacocks won their first title in 2003 with a 2-1 victory over Loyola. Saint Peter's also appeared in the title match in 2006 and 2007.
Iona advanced to this year's championship game with a 2-1 victory over second-seeded Siena College on Friday, November 12. Senior midfielder Mario Rios scored the first goal in the 70th minute, putting a shot into the top left corner following a corner kick by freshman midfielder Franklin Castellanos. Freshman forward Samuel Adjei then scored the game winner in the 84th minute, sending a shot from the left side of the box into the right side of the net. Michael Jordan closed out the game with two saves in goal for the Gaels.
Saint Peter's reached its fourth MAAC Championship game with a 2-1 double overtime win over fourth-seeded Loyola University Maryland on Friday evening. Trailing 1-0 early in the first half, senior midfielder Lebogang Pila kicked the ball into the right side following passes from Dmitri Pelts and Assaf Sheleg in the 32nd minute to tie the game. Pila then scored the game-winning shot in the 106th minute, as senior forward Mauricio Jimenez crossed the ball to the top of the box and Pila converted his shot into the left side of the net. Sophomore goalkeeper Carlos Suarez recorded two saves in goal for the Peacocks.
Fans can follow along online via Live Stats and the MAAC web stream.
The winner of Sunday's match will earn the MAAC's automatic bid the 2010 NCAA® Men's College Cup. The tournament bracket will be announced on Monday, November 15 between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. on ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network.