MSOC MEN'S SOCCER PAIRINGS RELEASE
INTERACTIVE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men's soccer team shut out Wentworth, 2-0, Tuesday night in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Semifinal action at Hempstead Stadium to advance to the CCC Championship for the first time in program history.
With the win, Endicott moved to 15-1-3 overall, while Wentworth fell to 14-5.
As the first half got underway, it was a back and forth affair in the first twenty minutes that turned into a scoreless first stanza. Both teams had aggressive chances, as Endicott nearly sounded the horn with a breakaway down the sideline by senior forward Diego Slobotzky (Mexico City, Mexico) that finished with an open goal missed opportunity from sophomore midfielder Thomas Martin (Derry, N.H.) when the Wentworth defense swooped in to squash the threat with two minutes remaining in the half.
Senior forward Abdulla Al Khalifa (Riffa, Bahrain) broke the silence by tipping in a cross from Slobotzky into the back middle of the net in the 67th minute to put the Gulls up 1-0.
Slobotzky added an insurance goal in the 84th minute on a breakaway down the sideline on a perfect feed from senior midfielder Shintaroh Itoh (Nerima, Tokyo, Japan) to round out the scoring for Endicott.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Gulls hold a 10-7-2 advantage in the all-time series versus Wentworth, as the two teams had never met in the postseason until tonight.
- Junior goalkeeper Nick Weinstein (Trumbull, Conn.) registered two saves in the match as he picked up his 13th shutout of the season, which ties the all-time program record for career shutouts (13) held by Cameron Twiss '08.
- Al Khalifa registered his team-leading ninth goal of the season, as he also scored in the team's 1-0 win over Wentworth in the regular season meeting on October 21.
- Slobotzky (seven goals, four assists) recorded one goal and one assist in a single match for the second time this season. (Last time was the Oct. 17, 2015 win vs. Western New England.)
- Itoh picked up his team-leading eighth assist of the season.
- It was a very physical match, as the teams combined for 29 fouls.
FOR THE FOES
- Freshman goalkeeper Joe Schallmo (Norwood, Mass.) suffered the loss (1-2) as he made three saves on the night.
- Senior midfielder Alberto Benhamu (Caracas, Venezuela) took three of the team's nine shots.
- Wentworth was shut out for the second time this season (both to Endicott).
NOTES
- 15 wins in a single season set a new program record, breaking the 14 wins set by the 1998 Endicott men's soccer team competing in the GNAC.
- The Gulls advanced to the CCC Championship for the first time in program history.
- The Gulls are unbeaten in 16 straight matches.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott will face No. 3 Gordon (14-4) on Saturday, November 7 at Hempstead Stadium in the CCC Men's Soccer Championship at 12:00 p.m. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.