Men's Soccer

Top-Seeded Quinnipiac and No. 2 Iona Punch Tickets into the MAAC Men’s Soccer Championship Final

No. 1 Quinnipiac – 5 | No. 4 Niagara – 2
Quinnipiac Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium | HAMDEN, CT
Box Score
 
Top-seeded Quinnipiac defeated No. 4 Niagara 5-2, to secure its berth into the MAAC Men’s Soccer Championship final on Sunday. The Bobcats scored early and often in the one-sided affair, with 2022 MAAC Golden Boot winner David Bercedo logging the first goal of the afternoon just 54 seconds into the match, giving Quinnipiac a 1-0 lead. The Purple Eagles scored the equalizer in the 13th minute when Stephen Hasse sent a corner into the box and Rodrigo Almeida connected on a header to even the match at 1-1. Later on in the half, Tomas Svecula would single-handedly put Quinnipiac ahead by two goals, notching a pair of tallies in the both the 21st and 38th minutes. The Bobcats would extend their lead to four goals in a four minute span to open the second half, with Bercedo finding the back of the net off of a pair of well-placed balls from Brage Aasen and Ramesh Delsouz in minute 52 and Luke Allen scoring from a header on a rebound after a shot hit the crossbar in minute 56. In the 76th minute, Niagara added one more goal by way of a penalty kick goal by Almeida to produce the final outcome.
 
Quinnipiac Notes and Notables
  • The Bobcats recorded 26 shots (14 on goal) in the win.
  • Bercedo and Svecula led the team with two goals each, while Allen had one goal.
  • Aasen ended his day with three assists.
  • Aasen, Alexander Stjernegaard, and Jason Budhai all recorded four shots to lead Quinnipiac.
  • Quinnipiac keeper Karl Netzel made four saves in the winning effort.
  • This was the fourth time during the Bobcats stellar season that the team scored five or more goals.
  • The five goals by Quinnipiac were the most in a MAAC tournament contest in over a decade, last being done when Siena defeated Saint Peter’s 5-1 during the 2011 MAAC Championship opening round.
  • The Bobcats remain unbeaten at home this season, improving to 9-0-1 in Hamden in 2022.
  • This will be Quinnipiac’s first finals appearance since the spring of 2020-21 and fifth overall trip to the MAAC finals dating back to 2013.
Niagara Notes and Notables
  • Niagara recorded 14 shots with six on target and held a 9-3 corner kick edge in the game.
  • Almeida led the team with five shots, three shots on goal, and a pair of goals.
  • Almeida’s goals were the ninth and 10th of the campaign for him, making him only the second player in the MAAC during 2022 to reach double-figure goals behind Bercedo.
  • Goalkeeper John Barry made eight saves in the losing effort.
No. 2 Iona – 1 | No. 3 Manhattan – 0
Mazzella Field | NEW ROCHELLE, NY
Box Score
 
No. 2 Iona edged No. 3 Manhattan 1-0 in the second semifinal match. Matias Morales' goal in the 3rd minute was the difference in the match. A miscue by the Manhattan defense allowed Elird Mero to feed Camil Azzam Ruiz who fed Morales in the box who found the back of the net for the game-winner.
 
Iona Notes and Notables
  • Iona only took three total shots in the match with its only shot on goal proving to be the game-winning goal.
  • In addition to Morales’ shot, Ruiz and Thiago Cagna also took one shot a piece.
  • Juan Alfaro Monge made three saves in goal for the Gaels in the clean sheet win.
  • The Gaels continued its unbeaten dominance in New Rochelle, improving to 6-0-2 at home on the season.
  • Iona reaches its fourth championship title berth all-time, its first since 2019.  
Manhattan Notes and Notables
  • Manhattan had an 11-3 shot advantage and put three shots on goal.
  • The Jaspers also held a 6-1 edge in corner kicks in the meeting.
  • Four players logged two shots to lead Manhattan, which included Gunnar Studenhofft, Ronaldo Da Silva, Nassim Akki, and Johan Velez.
Quinnipiac and Iona will meet in the 2022 MAAC Men’s Soccer Championship final on Sunday, November 13. The Bobcats will host the Gaels at Quinnipiac Soccer and Lacrosse Stadium in Hamden, CT at 12 p.m. for the right to earn the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Championship.
 
For all information regarding the 2022 MAAC Men’s Soccer Championship, please visit maacsports.com/msoc.
 
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 42nd year of competition during the 2022-23 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
 
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