No. 3 Men's Soccer Set to Host No. 6 Dean in GNAC Quarterfinals

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — The third-seeded University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team begins its quest to defend its Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) crown, hosting sixth-seeded Dean College (Dean) in the GNAC Quarterfinals Saturday afternoon. Kickoff against the Bulldogs is set for 1:00 p.m. on the USJ Soccer Field in West Hartford, Conn. 
 
#3 USJ BLUE JAYS (12-1-3, 10-1-3 GNAC) vs. #6 DEAN BULLDOGS (9-4-3, 7-4-3 GNAC) 
LOCATION: USJ Soccer Field (West Hartford, Conn.) 
DATE/TIME: Saturday, Oct. 28 (1 p.m.)  
WATCH: Live Stream 
LIVE STATS: Live Stats 
TWITTER: @USJ_BlueJays | #FearTheFlock | #GoBlueJays 
 
USJ QUICK HITS 

• USJ earned the third seed in the GNAC playoffs after finishing with a 10-2-3 record in conference play.
• The Blue Jays were tied with Johnson & Wales University, but the Wildcats took the tiebreaker due to their victory over USJ earlier in the season.
• The Blue Jays concluded the regular season on a six-game unbeaten streak, defeating Anna Maria, 4-0, on Tuesday to round out the regular season.
• The Blue Jays' offense is led by team captain, graduate student Michael Torres (Hartford, Conn.)
• Torres has anchored the midfielder, ranking second on the team in goals (9), while topping the team in assists (10) and points (28). His assist tally is the best in the GNAC, while his point tally ranks him second in the conference.
• USJ is led up top by the duo of senior forward Dane Stephens (Linstead, Jamaica) and sophomore forward Emmanuel Ofori (East Hartford, Conn.). The pair are tied for the team lead in goals, scoring 10 on the year to rank tied for fourth in the conference.
• Freshman midfielder Matthew Dima (Oxford, Conn.) has enjoyed a stellar debut campaign, netted six goals and three assists for 15 points, while senior midfielder Henry McGarrrah V (Hartford, Conn.) has been a spark plug off the bench for USJ, netting eight goals and dishing out two assists on the year.
• Graduate student Eli Rodriguez and sophomore Nicholas Simpson (Mansfield, Conn.) have formed a formidable partnership on the backline, anchoring a defense that has kept six shutouts on the season.
• Senior Jose Miguel Garcia Martin (Madrid, Spain) leads the team in net, appearing in eight games this season. The netminder sports a perfect 5-0-2 record, tallying four shutouts, 27 saves, a .844 save percentage and a 0.71 goals-against average.
• Junior El Hadji Anne (Bronx, N.Y.) has also made 10 appearances in goal for USJ, making nine starts and sporting a 7-1-1 record with 30 saves, a .698 save percentage and a 1.45 goals-against average.
• USJ has reached the GNAC playoffs in every season since the program started play in 2018. The Blue Jays hold a 5-3 record in GNAC postseason play, winning the program's first conference title last season.

SCOUTING DEAN 

• The Bulldogs earned the sixth seed in the GNAC playoffs after posting a 7-4-3 mark in conference play.
• This season marks the first time that Dean has earned a berth in the conference playoffs since joining the GNAC in 2020.
• The Bulldogs fell in their season finale to Albertus Magnus on Tuesday, 3-1.
• Senior midfielder Luke Palmer (Windsor Locks, Conn.) leads Dean, tallying 12 points off six goals.
• Senior midfielder Sean Doherty (Chelmsford, Mass.) joins Palmer in double-digits, netting four goals and dishing out two assists for 10 points on the season.
• Senior goalkeeper Alberto Gonzalez Del Rio (Madrid, Spain) leads the Dean goalkeeping core, posting an 8-2-2 record, keeping five shutouts and tallying 53 saves, a .815 save percentage and a .096 goals against average.

INSIDE THE SERIES 

• Saturday marks the fourth time that the Blue Jays and Bulldogs meet on the pitch. 
• USJ is unbeaten against Dean, holding a perfect 3-0-0 record all-time.
• The meeting marks the first time that the Blue Jays and Bulldogs will meet in the playoffs.
• The Blue Jays are unbeaten at home on the USJ Soccer Field against Dean, holding a 2-0-0 record. 
• Earlier this season, the Blue Jays defeated the Bulldogs, 4-0, on the USJ Soccer Field in West Hartford. 

UP NEXT 
With a victory, the Blue Jays would advance to the GNAC Semifinals, taking on the winner of the NEC/Lasell versus No. 2 Johnson & Wales University matchup. The Semifinals are set to take place on Tuesday, October 31 at the site of the higher seed. 

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