Men's Soccer Travels to Top-Seeded SJC for GNAC Semifinals

STANDISH, Maine — The fourth-seeded University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team looks to advance to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship game for the first time in program history, taking on top-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine (SJC) in the GNAC Semifinals on Wednesday night in a rematch of last year's GNAC Semifinals. Kickoff against the Monks is set for 6:00 p.m. from the SJC Athletics Complex in Standish, Maine. 
 
#4 USJ BLUE JAYS (11-3-3) at #1 SJC MONKS (13-4-1) 
LOCATION: SJC Athletics Complex (Standish, Maine) 
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, Nov. 2 (6 p.m.)  
WATCH: Live Stream 
LIVE STATS: Live Stats 
TWITTER: @USJ_BlueJays | #FearTheFlock | #GoBlueJays 
 
USJ QUICK HITS 

• USJ advanced to the GNAC Semifinals for the third consecutive season after posting a thrilling 3-2 victory over fourth-seeded Albertus Magnus College in overtime last Saturday.
• Senior forward Mergim Kutllovci (Thomaston, Conn.) netted the game winner with a minute and a half left in the second overtime period, lifting the Blue Jays to victory.
• The Blue Jays' offense is led by a trio of veterans: senior Benjamin Marchetti (Higganum, Conn.), senior Dane Stephens (Jamaica), and graduate student DeAnte Anderson (Bloomfield, Conn.).
• Marchetti paces the team with 12 goals and 27 points. Anderson has been equally impressive, boasting 10 goals and six assists for 26 points, while Stephens serves as the team's top playmaker, dishing out eight assists this season.
• Senior Michael Torres (Hartford, Conn.) has been a staple in the midfield, starting in 15 of the team's 17 games. The midfielder has scored four goals while dishing out six assists on the season.
• Junior Jose Miguel Garcia Martin (Madrid, Spain) leads the team in net, appearing in 13 games this season. The netminder sports a 8-3-2 record, tallying four shutouts, 47 saves, a .691 save percentage and a 1.68 goals-against average.
• USJ has reached the GNAC playoffs in every season since the program started play in 2018, holding a 3-3 record in postseason play.

SCOUTING SJC 

• The Monks advanced to the Semifinal round after defeating the No. 8 seed Anna Maria, 4-0, this past Saturday
• SJC earned the top seed after posting an 11-1 record in conference play. 
• The Monks are paced by graduate student forward Austin Ward.
• Ward leads the team in every offensive category, tallying 15 goals, five assists and 37 points. His offensive output ranks him second in the GNAC in both goals and total points.
• Senior goalkeeper Mike Sheridan leads SJC in net, starting in all 18 of the Monk's contests.
• Sheridan has allowed only 12 goals this season, the second-fewest in the GNAC, while also recording five shutouts, 44 saves, a 0.72 goals-against average and a .786 save percentage.

INSIDE THE SERIES 

• Wednesday marks the sixth time that the Blue Jays and Monks meet on the pitch. 
• SJC is undefeated versus USJ, owning a 5-0 advantage.
• The two sides met last season in the GNAC Semifinals, where the Monks defeated the Blue Jays, 3-1 in Standish.
• SJC is unbeaten at home against USJ, holding a 3-0 record. 
• Earlier this season, the Monks defeated the Blue Jays, 3-0, in Standish. 

UP NEXT 
With a victory, the Blue Jays would advance to the GNAC Championship game for the first time in program history, taking on the winner of the No. 6 Emmanuel versus No. 2 Johnson & Wales matchup. The Championship game is set to take place on Saturday, November 5. 

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