Box Score WATERVILLE, Maine – Brad McKechnie (Passadumkeag, Maine) scored in the 82nd minute to lead Maine Maritime Academy men's soccer to a 2-1 victory over Thomas College on Tuesday night in a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) action on Smith Field.
With the win the Mariners improve to 12-3-1 overall on the season and 7-1 in the NAC, claiming the top seed and the right to host the upcoming NAC Tournament. The Terriers drop to 8-8-1 overall and 7-1 in conference, and claim the second seed and a first-round bye in the NAC Tournament.
The Terriers got on the board early in the first half as Josh Morrissey crossed a ball in to Zenawi Bowen, who trapped it and finished it in the right netting past Trevor Gray (Gorham, Maine). The Terriers took the 1-0 lead into halftime, out-shooting the Mariners 5-3.
The Mariners tied the game in the 54th minute when Evan Backus (Farmington, Maine) finished off a Matt Caron (Scarborough, Maine) corner with a diving header. McKechnie gave the Mariners the 2-1 lead late in the half when he capitalized on a rebound off a Caron shot in the 82nd minute.
Gray tallied four saves in the victory for Maine Maritime, while John Villanueva made three stops in the loss for Thomas.
The Terriers held a 15-10 advantage in shots, while the Mariners had a 10-8 advantage in corner kicks.
SUNY Delhi (9-7, 6-2) earned the #3 seed and will host #6 SUNY Canton (6-9-2, 4-4) in a quarterfinal game next weekend. Husson (6-12, 5-3) claimed the final hosting opportunity at #4 and will host #5 UMaine-Farmington (10-7, 4-4) in a first-round tilt. Despite identical 4-4 conference records, UMaine-Farmington edged SUNY Canton for the fifth seed with a head-to-head win earlier in the season.
Quarterfinal games will be either Saturday, November 2 or Sunday, November 3, with specific game details to be determined.
The semifinal and championship games hosted by the Mariners will take place the following weekend. Semifinal games between #1 Maine Maritime and the winner of the #4 Husson/#5 UMaine-Farmington matchup, and #2 Thomas and the #3 SUNY Delhi/#6 SUNY Canton matchup are tentatively scheduled for Saturday, November 9th. The semifinal game winners will compete for the conference championship, tentatively scheduled for Sunday, November 10th.
The NAC Champion will move on to play in the NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament.
2019 Men's Soccer Championship Tournament
All dates and times are subject to change and will be updated accordingly.
Quarterfinals - Saturday, Nov. 2 or Sunday, Nov. 3 (at higher seed)
No 3. SUNY Delhi (9-7, 6-2) vs. No. 6 SUNY Canton (6-9-2, 4-4)- TBA
No. 4 Husson (6-12, 5-3) vs. No. 5 UMaine Farmington (10-7, 4-4) - TBA
Semifinals - Saturday, Nov. 9 (at No. 1 seed Maine Maritime)
Winner of SUNY Delhi/SUNY Canton vs. No. 2 Thomas (8-8-1, 7-1) - TBA
Winner of Husson/UMaine-Farmington vs. No. 1 Maine Maritime (12-3-1, 7-1) - TBA
Championship - Sunday, Nov. 10
Semifinal winners - TBA
Click HERE to view the complete NAC release.
