STANDISH, Maine — Fifth-seeded Saint Joseph's College (8-2-8, 6-0-6 GNAC) will host seventh-seeded Norwich University (10-5-4, 6-4-2 GNAC) in the 2026 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer Championship at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 7, at the SJC Athletics Complex.

The Monks enter Saturday's championship riding a 14-game unbeaten streak (7-0-7). Saint Joseph's has not lost since a 1-0 setback to Bates College on September 8.

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 quarterfinal draw.

In Wednesday's semifinal at top-seeded Emmanuel College, freshman Damir Brkic (South Portland, Maine) opened the scoring eight minutes into the contest, finishing a pass from junior Nick Marion (Windham, Maine) to give the Monks a 1-0 lead. Emmanuel answered at 11:12 with an unassisted goal from Justin Soto, and neither team scored again in regulation.

Sophomore Mattheus Silva (Acton, Mass.) delivered the game-winner at 95:36, carrying the ball from midfield before sidestepping a defender and steering a shot from a tight angle between the near post and Emmanuel goalkeeper Ivan Gonzalez.

Norwich advanced past second-seeded Albertus Magnus with a 7-6 penalty-kick shootout victory following a 1-1 quarterfinal draw. The Cadets followed with a 4-1 semifinal victory at third-seeded Rivier, with four different players scoring to secure Norwich's place in the championship.

BRACKETOLOGY:

GNAC Men's Soccer Tournament Schedule

Quarterfinals - Saturday, October 31

No. 1 Emmanuel def. No. 8 Regis, 1-0
No. 7 Norwich advanced past No. 2 Albertus Magnus, 1-1 (7-6 PKs)
No. 3 Rivier def. No. 6 Elms, 1-0
No. 5 Saint Joseph's advanced past No. 4 University of Saint Joseph, 2-2 (5-4 PKs)

Semifinals - Wednesday, November 4

No. 5 Saint Joseph's def. No. 1 Emmanuel, 2-1 (OT)
No. 7 Norwich def. No. 3 Rivier, 4-1

Championship - Saturday, November 7

No. 5 Saint Joseph's vs. No. 7 Norwich, 4:00 PM

QUICK FACTS:

• Saint Joseph's is 4-2-3 at home, while Norwich is 3-2-4 on the road.
• The Monks are 5-0-3 over their last eight games, while the Cadets are 4-2-2 over that span.
• Saint Joseph's leads the GNAC in save percentage (.858), shots on goal per game (8.83), and shots per game (18.33). The Monks rank fifth nationally in save percentage.
• Norwich leads the GNAC in shot accuracy (.551) and corner kicks per game (6.26) and ranks second in total goals (42).

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Saint Joseph's:

• Nick Marion (Jr., Windham, Maine) — Is tied for second in the GNAC in goals (nine) and ranks second in points (25).
• Damir Brkic (Fr., South Portland, Maine) — Ranks fourth in the GNAC in goals (eight).
• Godin Ndayishimiye (Jr., Bujumbura, Burundi) — Ranks third on the team in points (11).
• Zander Haskell (Sr., Scarborough, Maine) — Has scored four goals in nine games.

Norwich:

• Diego Fuentes (Sr., Valencia, Spain) — Is tied for the team lead in goals (five), assists (four), and points (14).
• Daniel Hennessey (So., Dubai, U.A.E.) — Is tied for the team lead in goals (five), assists (four), and points (14).
• Brian Baek (Fr., Fairfax, Va.) — Is tied for the team lead in goals (five) and ranks third in points (12).
• Miles Bergeson (So., Charlotte, Vt.) — Ranks third on the team in assists (three) and is tied for fourth in points (11).

KEEPER COMPARISON:

Saint Joseph's: Alex Bachmann (Sr., Scarborough, Maine) owns a 0.90 goals-against average, an 8-2-8 record, and an .849 save percentage, with 90 saves and 16 goals allowed. He has started all 18 contests for the Monks.

Norwich: Victor Kalorin (Jr., Raleigh, N.C.) owns a 0.90 goals-against average, a 9-3-3 record, and an .787 save percentage, with 48 saves and 13 goals allowed. He has started 15 contests for the Cadets.

THE SKIPPERS:

Saint Joseph's: Will Pike '11 — Eighth season, 81-32-21 (.683).

Norwich: Robert Emmett — Third season, 24-18-12 (.556).

THE LAST TIME WE MET:

Saint Joseph's defeated Norwich, 3-2, at the SJC Athletics Complex on Tuesday, October 13.

Marion put the Monks ahead at 24:19 off an assist from sophomore Mattheus Silva and doubled the lead at 41:04 on a pass from graduate student Brady Cormier (Waterboro, Maine). Saint Joseph's outshot Norwich 11-3 in the first half and carried a 2-0 advantage into the break.

The Cadets cut the deficit on an unassisted goal by Cristian Habiniak at 47:08. Kalorin then denied a penalty kick by freshman Damir Brkic at 56:56 to keep Norwich within a goal.

Junior Godin Ndayishimiye restored the Monks' two-goal cushion at 59:45 off an assist from Marion. Norwich answered just 21 seconds later, as Daniel Hennessey finished a feed from Ben Rubinstein to make it a 3-2 game.

Saint Joseph's finished with advantages in shots (25-14) and shots on goal (10-8), while Norwich led in corner kicks (10-6). Bachmann made six saves to earn the victory, and Kalorin recorded seven stops for the Cadets.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's holds a 14-8-5 all-time record against Norwich.

POSTSEASON HISTORY:

Saint Joseph's is a six-time GNAC champion (2009, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021) and has qualified for every GNAC Tournament held since joining the conference in 2007. The Monks hold a 25-11-3 (.679) overall tournament record, including a 23-5-1 (.810) mark at home.

The Cadets will make their 14th GNAC Championship appearance on Saturday, their third since 2021 and first since 2023. Norwich has captured four conference titles, winning three consecutive championships from 1999 through 2001 before adding its most recent crown in 2008.

Saturday's matchup marks the sixth meeting between the Monks and Cadets in the GNAC Championship. Saint Joseph's has claimed the title in four of the previous five meetings, prevailing in 2011, 2016 (via penalty kicks), 2017, and 2021. Norwich defeated SJC in the 2008 championship. Their most recent title-game encounter ended with a 1-0 Monks victory in double overtime at the SJC Athletics Complex in 2021.