STANDISH, Maine — Fifth-seeded Saint Joseph's College (7-2-8, 6-0-6 GNAC) travels to top-seeded Emmanuel College (11-5-3, 9-2-1 GNAC) for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer Tournament semifinal Wednesday, November 4, at 7:00 PM at Roberto Clemente Field in Boston.

The winner advances to Saturday's GNAC Championship against either third-seeded Rivier or seventh-seeded Norwich.

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Saint Joseph's advanced past fourth-seeded University of Saint Joseph, the two-time defending GNAC champion, with a 5-4 penalty-kick shootout victory following a 2-2 draw Saturday. Seniors Zander Haskell (Scarborough, Maine) and Diego Robinson (Hinesburg, Vt.) scored for the Monks, who converted all five shootout attempts. Senior goalkeeper Alex Bachmann (Scarborough, Maine) saved the Blue Jays' second kick, and sophomore Mattheus Silva (Acton, Mass.) converted the deciding attempt.

Emmanuel secured its semifinal berth with a 1-0 victory over eighth-seeded Regis College on Saturday. Jaylen Goodall scored at 65:40 off an assist from Benjamin Anderson, while goalkeeper Ivan Gonzalez made four saves to earn the shutout and extend the Saints' winning streak to eight games.

BRACKETOLOGY:

GNAC Men's Soccer Tournament Schedule

Quarterfinals – Saturday, Oct. 31

#1 Emmanuel def. #8 Regis, 1-0
#7 Norwich advanced past #2 Albertus Magnus, 1-1 (7-6 PKs)
#3 Rivier def. #6 Elms, 1-0
#5 Saint Joseph's advanced past #4 University of Saint Joseph, 2-2 (5-4 PKs)

Semifinals – Wednesday, Nov. 4

#1 Emmanuel vs. #5 Saint Joseph's, 7:00 PM
#3 Rivier vs. #7 Norwich, 6:00 PM

Championship – Saturday, Nov. 7

Semifinal winners, TBD

QUICK FACTS:

• Saint Joseph's is unbeaten on the road with a 3-0-5 record, while Emmanuel is 6-2-3 at home.
• The Monks are 5-0-3 over their last eight games, while the Saints have won eight consecutive contests.
• Saint Joseph's leads the GNAC in assists per game (1.76), points per game (6.12), goal differential (+22), shots per game (18.65), and shots on goal per game (8.94).
• Defensively, the Monks lead the conference in save percentage (.862) and shutout percentage (.471). Their save percentage ranks third in NCAA Division III.
• Emmanuel leads the GNAC in winning percentage (.658) and ranks second in shutout percentage (.421).

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Saint Joseph's:

• Nick Marion (Jr., Windham, Maine) – Ranks second in the GNAC in points (24), is tied for second in goals (nine), and is tied for third in assists (six).
• Damir Brkic (Fr., South Portland, Maine) – Is tied for fourth in the GNAC in goals (seven) and ranks fifth in points (18). He also ranks second in shots on goal per game (1.76) and fourth in shots per game (3.41).
• Godin Ndayishimiye (Jr., Bujumbura, Burundi) – Ranks third on the team with 11 points.
• Zander Haskell (Sr., Scarborough, Maine) – Has scored four goals in seven appearances.

Emmanuel:

• Rafael Matamoros (Jr., Weston, Fla.) – Leads the Saints in goals (six), assists (five), and points (17). His five assists rank eighth in the GNAC.
• Luis Pimentel (Jr., Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) – Ranks second on the team in assists (four) and points (10) and is tied for second with three goals.
• Joao Ramos (So., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) – Is tied for second on the team with three goals and owns a 50.0% shooting percentage.
• Jacob Nardelli (Fr., Middletown, Conn.) – Is tied for second on the team with three goals and ranks third with two assists.

KEEPER COMPARISON:

Saint Joseph's: Alex Bachmann (Sr., Scarborough, Maine) – Leads the GNAC and ranks 12th nationally with an .853 save percentage. He ranks third in the conference in goals-against average (0.90), fourth in saves (87), and tied for second in shutouts (six). Bachmann owns a 7-2-8 record and has started all 17 contests for the Monks.

Emmanuel: David Derk (Fr., Wellington, Fla.) – Is tied for third in the GNAC in save percentage (.800) and ranks fourth in goals-against average (0.95). He has recorded 40 saves and four shutouts while posting a 5-3-2 record in 11 starts. Ivan Gonzalez earned the start in Saturday's quarterfinal and made four saves in the Saints' shutout victory.

THE SKIPPERS:

Saint Joseph's: Will Pike '11 – Eighth season (80-32-21)

Emmanuel: Keith Danley – First season (11-5-3)

THE LAST TIME WE MET:

The teams played to a scoreless draw on September 15. Freshman midfielder Damir Brkic (South Portland, Maine) tested Emmanuel goalkeeper David Derk just 2:30 into the contest and added two more attempts as the Monks carried a 5-3 advantage in shots into halftime.

Saint Joseph's outshot Emmanuel, 10-8, in the second half. Brkic put another attempt on target in the 72nd minute, and graduate midfielder Hayes Sweeney (Hollis, Maine) followed with a shot less than three minutes later. The Saints received a penalty kick in the 76th minute, but Bachmann denied Jacob Beck's attempt and added two more saves during the ensuing three minutes to preserve the deadlock.

Junior forward Curtis Metcalf (South Portland, Maine) nearly broke through late, putting shots on goal in the 88th and 89th minutes, but Derk stopped both attempts. The Monks generated two more shots and a corner kick before the final whistle.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's holds a 16-4-3 all-time record against Emmanuel. Wednesday's GNAC tourney meeting will be the fifth between the Monks and the Saints, who tipped SJC in PKs after playing to a 1-1 stalemate in regulation in a 2024 quarterfinal. St. Joe's won the three previous meetings (2011, 2018, 2019).

POSTSEASON HISTORY:

Saint Joseph's is a seven-time GNAC champion (2009, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021) and has qualified for every GNAC Tournament held since joining the conference in 2007. The Monks hold a 24-11-3 (.671) all-time tournament record after advancing past two-time defending champion USJ in penalty kicks Saturday.

Emmanuel holds a 2-13-5 all-time GNAC Tournament record and is seeking its first appearance in the conference championship game.