Top Seeds To Square Off In Championship Match
MAAC Sports
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The top two seeds of the 2013 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Championship, No. 1 Monmouth University and No. 2 Quinnipiac University will face each other in the title round of the conference’s tournament on Sunday, at Lessing Field on the campus of Fairfield University. The match will begin at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live on MAAC.TV.
The winner of the match will receive the MAAC’s automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship.
Monmouth advanced to the championship after battling No. 4 seed Manhattan to a scoreless draw in 90 minutes of regulation action, and two 10-minute overtime periods in the first semifinal on Friday.. The Hawks moved on to the title round with a 3-0 edge in penalty kicks. The Hawks’ Joseph Schmid, David Acuna Camacho and Jacob Rubinstein all converted their penalty kicks, and Monmouth goalie Eric Klenofsky saved two of Manhattan’s three chances as the Jaspers were unable to convert a PK.
Quinnipiac also had to rely on penalty kicks to move on to the championship round. The Bobcats and Iona were tied 1-1 after regulation and two OT periods of the second semifinal match. Quinnipiac finally took the advantage when Justin Ward successfully converted on the Bobcats’ seventh attempt for a 7-6 edge.
Monmouth and Quinnipiac, the two newest members of the MAAC, tied for the regular season championship with a 7-1-2 mark in conference play. The Hawks took the No. 1 seed tiebreaker, having defeated the Bobcats 1-0 in the regular season matchup on Oct. 26.
Monmouth and Quinnipiac are no strangers to each other, having met 17 times dating back to the Bobcats’ inaugural year of Division I play. The Hawks hold a 12-3-2 advantage in the series, including 8-0-2 in the last 10 meetings.
Monmouth, now 8-6-5 overall, has a balanced attack offensively and a tough defense, spearheaded by 2013 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year Matt Jeffery. Since the freshman Klenofsky has been inserted as the starter in goal, the Hawks have registered eight shutouts in his 11 starts. Klenofsky was a All-MAAC second team selection.
Quinnipiac is 9-4-6 overall. Senior Simon Hinde, a first-team All-MAAC selection, leads the Hawks with nine goals and 19 points, while Machel Baker has contributed four goals and two assists. Quinnipiac’s Borja Angoitia was the 2013 MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year, and recorded eight shutouts in the regular season.