NEWTON, Mass. (11/7/13) – The Lasell College men's soccer team will host Johnson and Wales University University on Sunday November 10th at 1:00 p.m. in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship at Taylor Field. Top-seeded Lasell brings a 15-3-1 record into the contest, while third seeded Johnson and Wales stands at 14-1-5 in 2013. A Lasell victory will send the Lasers to the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2006 season as well as giving Lasell back-to-back 15 win seasons for the first time in the program history.
Lasell advanced to the championship with a 3-1 victory over Norwich University on Wednesday afternoon. Mike Skelton scored his 18th and 19th goals of the season and Nery Guerra added a goal to put the match out of reach as the seniors exacted a measure of revenge on the Cadets who had knocked Lasell out of the GNAC tournament the last two seasons.
Johnson and Wales handed Lasell their only GNAC loss of the year when the two sides met in Providence, R.I. on October 12th, defeating Lasell 2-1, converting a penalty kick in the61st minute to grab the victory.
Scouting the Wildcats:
Johnson and Wales finished the GNAC slate with a 5-1-3 record, suffering their only loss of the entire season, 2-0 at Mount Ida on October 14th. JWU poses challenges with a diverse attack, keyed by a pair of juniors, O'Kyle Corridon and Kyle Metz. Corridon has 20 points on eight goals and four assists in 2013 while Metz has handed out a GNAC-best 11 assists along with four goals. Freshmen Xavier Carty has proved to be a potent addition to the Wildcats offense with seven goals and four assists in his first season at the college level. Ryan Dzierawski boasts the best save percentage in the GNAC, saving 91% of the shots on goal he has faced while posting a 0.5 goals against average on the year. He has eight shutouts in 16 starts, helping Johnson and Wales allow a paltry 11 goals all season.
Breaking Down the Series:
The last time Lasell faced off with JWU in the GNAC tournament the Lasers came away with a 2-1 victory in the 2010 quarterfinals. The only other time the two met in the postseason was the Lasers inaugural season in the GNAC in 2007 when JWU knocked Lasell out with a 4-1 win. Lasell holds a 5-3-1 advantage in the series during the Lasers time in the GNAC, and the JWU victory this season snapped a five season unbeaten streak for Lasell against the Wildcats.