No. 3 Men's Soccer Travels to No. 2 JWU for GNAC Semifinals

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The third-seeded University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team continues its quest to defend its Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) crown, traveling to second-seeded Johnson & Wales University (JWU) in the GNAC Semifinals Tuesday night. Kickoff against the Wildcats is set for 4:00 p.m. at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex in Providence, R.I.
 
#3 USJ BLUE JAYS (13-1-3) at #2 JWU WILDCATS (12-2-4) 
LOCATION: Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex (Providence, R.I.) 
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, Oct. 31 (4 p.m.)  
WATCH: Live Stream 
LIVE STATS: Live Stats 
TWITTER: @USJ_BlueJays | #FearTheFlock | #GoBlueJays 
 
USJ QUICK HITS 

• USJ advanced to the semifinals for the fourth consecutive season after defeating No. 6 Dean College in the Quarterfinals, 3-1, this past Saturday.
• The Blue Jays 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 JWU, but the Wildcats took the tiebreaker due to their victory over USJ earlier in the 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).
• 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, netting seven goals and dishing out three assists for 17 points, while senior midfielder Henry McGarrrah V (Hartford, Conn.) has been a spark plug off the bench for USJ, netting nine goals and passing 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 nine games this season. The netminder sports a perfect 6-0-2 record, tallying four shutouts, 33 saves, a .846 save percentage and a 0.75 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 JWU

• The Wildcats advanced to the Semifinals after defeating No. 7 New England College, 2-0, in the GNAC Quarterfinals this past Saturday.
• The Wildcats earned the second seed in the GNAC playoffs after finishing with a 10-2-3 record in conference play, winning the tiebreaker against USJ due to head-to-head results.
• This season marks the 11^th straight year that JWU earned a spot in the GNAC playoffs.
• The Wildcats are the most successful program in GNAC history, claiming the conference title a record nine times.
• JWU is paced offensively by graduate student midfielder Aidan Bagley (Cumberland, R.I.), who has scored a team-high 11 goals, while dishing out five assists to top the team with 27 points.
• Junior midfielder Conner Elliot (Mansfield, Mass.) has been equally impressive, netting seven goals while tallying five assists to rank second on the team with 19 points.
• Graduate student goalkeeper Jacob Friedman (Woodland Hills, Calif.) has been one of the top goalkeepers in the GNAC this season, starting in all 18 games for JWU, posting a 12-2-4 record with nine shutouts, 42 saves, a .824 save percentage and a 0.52 goals-against average.

INSIDE THE SERIES 

• Tuesday marks the eighth time that the Blue Jays and Wildcats meet on the pitch. 
• JWU has the edge in the all-time series, 5-1-1.
• The meeting marks the third time that USJ and JWU face each other in the playoffs. The Wildcats took the first meeting during the 2019 GNAC Semifinals, while the Blue Jays most recently defeated the Wildcats in the last seasons GNAC Championship game.
• The Wildcats hold a slim 2-1-1 edge in Providence against the Blue Jays 
• Earlier this season, the Wildcats defeated the Blue Jays, 4-0, on the USJ Soccer Field in West Hartford. 

UP NEXT 
With a victory, the Blue Jays would advance to the GNAC Championship game for the second consecutive year, taking on the winner of the No. 5 Norwich and No. 1 Saint Joseph's College of Maine matchup. The Championship game is set for Saturday, November 4 at the site of the higher seed.

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