STANDISH, Maine — No. 5 Saint Joseph's College (7-2-7, 6-0-6 GNAC) will travel to No. 4 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) (7-3-5, 7-1-4 GNAC) for a 2026 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer Tournament quarterfinal at 3:00 PM on Saturday, October 31, at USJ Soccer Field.

The winner of the No. 5 Saint Joseph's/No. 4 University of Saint Joseph matchup will advance to Wednesday's semifinal to face the winner of the No. 1 Emmanuel/No. 8 Regis quarterfinal. The semifinal winners will meet in the GNAC Championship on Saturday, November 7, with the conference title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, which begins November 14, on the line.

BRACKETOLOGY:

GNAC Men's Soccer Tournament Schedule

Quarterfinals – Saturday, Oct. 31 (Hosted by higher seeds)

#1 Emmanuel vs. #8 Regis, 3:30 PM
#2 Albertus Magnus vs. #7 Norwich, 1:00 PM
#3 Rivier vs. #6 Elms, 4:00 PM
#4 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) vs. #5 Saint Joseph's (Maine), 3:00 PM

Semifinals – Wednesday, Nov. 4 (Hosted by higher remaining seeds)

#1/8 Winner vs. #4/5 Winner, TBD
#2/7 Winner vs. #3/6 Winner, TBD

Championship – Saturday, Nov. 7 (Hosted by highest remaining seed)

Semifinal winners, TBD

QUICK FACTS:

• Saint Joseph's is 3-0-4 on the road, while USJ is 5-2-2 at home.
• Over their last six games, Saint Joseph's is 4-0-2, while USJ is 3-1-2.
• The teams' last meeting ended in a 2-2 tie on September 19.
• The Monks are 5-4-2 all-time against the Blue Jays.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Saint Joseph's:

• Nick Marion (Jr., Windham, Maine) – Ranks second in the GNAC in goals (nine) and points (24).
• Damir Brkic (Sr., South Portland, Maine) – Ranks fourth in the GNAC in goals (7).
• Godin Ndayishimiye (Sr., Bujumbura, Burundi) – Ranks third on the team in points (11).
• Zander Haskell (Sr., Scarborough, Maine) – Has scored three goals in six games.

University of Saint Joseph:

• Nico Hamzavi (Jr., West Hartford, Conn.) – Ranks fourth in the GNAC in points (19) and leads the team in goals (6) and assists (7).
• Damir Cirikovic (Jr., Southington, Conn.) – Tied for the team lead in goals (6).
• Mario Milirado (Jr., Middletown, Conn.) – Ranks third on the team in goals (5).
• Ryan Riviezzo (Sr., Wolcott, Conn.) – Ranks second on the team in assists (4).

KEEPER COMPARISON:

Saint Joseph's: Alex Bachmann (Sr., Scarborough, Maine) – 0.84 goals-against average, 7-2-7 record, .865 save percentage (83 saves, 13 goals allowed); started all 16 contests for the Monks.

University of Saint Joseph: Andres Diosa (Sr., Cheshire, Conn.) – 0.80 goals-against average, 7-3-5 record, .803 save percentage (49 saves, 12 goals allowed); started all 15 contests for the Blue Jays.

THE SKIPPERS:

Saint Joseph's: Will Pike '11 – Eighth season (80-32-20)

University of Saint Joseph: Paul Wright – Ninth season (92-35-20)

THE LAST TIME WE MET:

The last time the two teams squared off on September 19, they played to a 2-2 tie.

First-year midfielder Damir Brkic (South Portland, Maine) opened the scoring with an unassisted goal just 7:42 into the contest. The Blue Jays answered just over two minutes later when Damir Cirikovic converted a pass from Nico Hamzavi at the 9:50 mark. USJ claimed its first lead in the 69th minute when Hamzavi scored off a pass from Mario Milirado. The Blue Jays maintained their one-goal advantage until Godin Ndayishimiye found the back of the net at 83:06. Senior Cole Bishop (Gorham, Maine) and junior Nick Marion (Windham, Maine) recorded assists on the equalizer.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's is 5-4-2 all-time against the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.).

POSTSEASON HISTORY:

Saint Joseph's is a seven-time GNAC champion (2009, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021) and has qualified for the conference tournament every year since joining the GNAC in 2007. The Monks hold a 24-11-2 (.676) overall tournament record.

The University of Saint Joseph is making its eighth GNAC Tournament appearance after winning back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025.