NEC Championship Recap

Fairleigh Dickinson Dethrones Defending
NEC Champion UMBC, 2-0 
Hurtado Nets Both Goals, Named Tournament MVP

Teaneck, NJ -- The top-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights defeated the defending NEC Champs, #3-seeded UMBC Retrievers, 2-0, at University Field in Teaneck on a cold, blustery Sunday afternoon. NEC Rookie of the Year, FDU sophomore forward Dirceu Hurtado (Totowa, N.J./Don Bosco Tech) scored two goals today and four in the tournament, two of which were game-winners, and was named the NEC Men’s Soccer Tournament Most Valuable Player.
 
With the victory, the Knights will travel to the University of Illinois at Chicago - the winner of today’s Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament - for a play-in game to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament.

The Knights young defense, consisting of three freshman and a sophomore, were able to keep the NEC’s top goal scorer, UMBC’s senior forward Giuliano Celenza (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley) without a shot attempt. FDU’s second half offensive outburst was created from the team’s strong defensive play. Sophomore back Taffarie Laing (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood) led the surge as he and teammate Jacob Roames (Frederick, Md./Johnson) were able to make long runs up the sidelines and push the midfielders and forwards up into UMBC territory. 

Hurtado’s first goal began by Roames’ takeaway and lead pass to Johnny David (Hillside, N.J./Hillside). David played forward Danny Lozano (Cali, Colombia/Colombico) on the left-side of the goal box. Lozano drew two defenders and the attention of UMBC’s sophomore goalie Brian Rowland (Toronto, Ontario/York Memorial). Lozano found Hurtado on the far post for a four-yard goal at 63:58. 

The second goal also started on the left side of the field, as the defense continued to disrupt the UMBC offense and look to push up-field quickly. David took a deflected pass out of the midfield and pushed up the left side. Hurtado was able to streak behind the defense and deposit David’s cross-pass into the back of the net in the 79th minute. With four goals in the tournament, Hurtado tied a NEC Tournament record held by three players including FDU’s German Quijano (1989), Joni Kallioinen (Monmouth 1991) and Musa Shannon (Robert Morris 1996).

FDU’s junior keeper Eric Montoya (Paterson, N.J./DePaul) recorded his first shutout of the season and improved to 2-0 against the Retrievers this season. The Retrievers’ best scoring opportunity came in the 62nd minute, as Matt Gormley’s (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) blast from the leftside was saved by a diving Montoya. UMBC’s PJ Wakefield (Overlea, Md./Calvert Hall) led the team with three shots, all coming in the first half. 

The Knights’ win marks the first time since 1989 that the team has won the NEC Tournament title and it also marks the first time the program will represent the NEC in a play-in game for a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament.

NEC Semifinal Recaps

Fairleigh Dickinson Tops Quinnipiac, 3-2 In Overtime, 
To Advance To NEC Championship Game

Teaneck, NJ -- The first Northeast Conference semifinal game between #1-seed Fairleigh Dickinson University and #4-seed Quinnipiac University was a thriller. The Knights defeated the Braves, 3-2 in overtime to advance to the NEC Championship game on Sunday.

The game showcased two of the NEC’s young stars as Quinnipiac’s Everson Maciel (Londrina, Brazil/Maxi) and FDU’s Dirceu Hurtado (Totowa, N.J./Don Bosco Tech) as each scored two goals, including a penalty kick.  

Hurtado’s second goal, the game-winner, came seven minutes into the sudden-death overtime period. Senior midfielder Brian Romero (Paterson, N.J./Kennedy) launched a cross-pass to Hurtado on the left side of the box, where he proceeded to place a header just out the reach of Braves’ goalkeeper Jarrod Garritano (Staten Island, NY./Msgr. Farrell) from six-yards away. 

The Knights led 1-0 at halftime as Hurtado netted a penalty kick at 21:05. Quinnipiac wasted little time coming out of the half aggressive and forcing the action at both ends of the field. Maciel was awarded a penalty kick at 47:37 and found the back of the net placing his shot just off the finger-tips of FDU keeper Vytas Lenkutis (Vilnius, Lithuania/Gabijos). 

Fairleigh Dickinson regained the lead as Danny Lozano (Cali, Colombia/Colombico) controlled a loose ball off the foot of David Vanunu (Jaffa/Tel Aviv, Israel/Handesaim) and the head of Romero, and lasered a shot from eight-yards out in the 79th minute. The Braves struck right back as Maciel scored his second goal of the game from 12-yards out on the right side. 

Maciel finished with a game-high seven shots and Hurtado led FDU with six shots and two goals. Romero had two assists for the Knights who defeated the Braves for the second time this year. 

The Knights advance to the NEC Championship game and will face UMBC at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 5th at University Field in Teaneck.

UMBC Defeats St. Francis (NY), 2-0, To Reach 
NEC Title Game

Teaneck, NJ -- The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) advanced to its second consecutive Northeast Conference men’s soccer championship game after defeating St. Francis (N.Y.) 2-0 in the second semifinal game of the day at University Field in Teaneck, N.J. The Retrievers were led by NEC Player of the Year Giuliano Celenza (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley) who scored the game winner at the 50:24 mark of the second half. 

UMBC put four shots on goal in the first half, while SFNY midfielder Kabirudeen Ajenishe (Lagos, Nigeria/Jibril Martins) led the Terriers with two of the team’s five first half shots. UMBC’s Brian Rowland (Toronto, Ontario/York Memorial) working with thesun directly in his eyes in the first half saved two shots. 

In the second half, the Retrievers forced the offense at Terriers goalkeeper, freshman Marcus Maurice (St. Augustine, Trinidad/El Dorado Secondary Comp.) who had to deal with the sun as well as the oncoming Retrievers offense. 

Celenza took a through-pass from Matt Gormley, ran through the defense and faked Maurice out of the box for an easy six-yard blast in the 50th minute. Matt Joseph (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall) was also able to get Maurice out of position and find the net for the second time this season on a feed from midfielder Pat Halter (Ellicott City, Md./Mt. Hebron).

The Retrievers held the Terriers to four shots in the second half and held them without a shot until the 73:13 mark when Emil Krzyskow’s (New Brunswick, N.J./Gen. Ed Lyceum) shot went wide. 

The Retrievers will play the top-seed, #1 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights in the NEC Championship game at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 5th at University Field in Teaneck, N.J. The winner of the NEC then travels to the winner of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference for a play-in game to advance to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament.