Keene State's semifinal loss gives No. 2-seeded Warriors home field
Below: Nicholas Boretti
MANSFIELD, Conn. -- The second-seeded Warriors will host the Little East Conference
men's soccer playoff championship game for the second time in three years. The Warriors' 2-0 semifinal-round win over No.3 seed and 2008 champion Rhode Island College Wednesday night, coupled with top-seeded Keene State College's 2-1 overtime home loss to No. 4 seed Massachusetts Dartmouth, brings the final game to the Mansfield Outdoor Complex Saturday at noon.
Against Rhode Island College (9-8-2) Wednesday, senior co-captains Nicholas Boretti (Marshfield, MA) and Maxim Fantl (West Hartford) scored goals on assists from sophomore Aaron Smiles (Bedford, MA) to spark Eastern (15-4-1) to its seventh straight win - tenth in a row against New England competition.
At Keene, NH Wednesday night, UMass Dartmouth (10-6-2) defeated Keene State College for the second times this year at Keene, eliminating the Owls, 2-1, in overtime to qualify for the championship game for the first time since losing a 1-0 decision at Plymouth State University in 2000. The losses were the only ones in conference play this year for Keene, which has won five of ten LEC playoff titles. Dartmouth had squeezed into the fourth and final playoff spot Saturday when Plymouth State was beaten by visiting Eastern in overtime. Plymouth needed only a tie to quality and eliminate UMass Dartmouth from contention.
Against Rhode Island, Boretti's seventh goal of the season came on a head ball on a free kick with 1:22 left in the first half and Fantl's conference-leading 17th goal of the season 15 minutes into the second half made it 2-0. Fantl scored on the rebound of a corner kick by Smiles that was saved by Rhode Island junior keeper Helder Faustino for his eighth goal during the current seven-game winning streak. Fantl's goal was his 49th in 81 career games. Boretti's goal was the 20th of his career and the assists give Smiles a conference-leading ten this year and 18 in less than two seasons.
Eastern had beaten Rhode Island, 3-1, less than three weeks ago at Mansfield to kick off the current seven-game winning streak, with Boretti scoring twice and assisting on the other goal, Fantl scoring once and Smiles assisting on one.
It was the third straight season that Eastern and Rhode Island were meeting in the semifinals of the tournament. The Anchormen had eliminated Eastern from the 2008 playoffs on the way to their first conference championship after the Warriors had eliminated RIC in 2007 en route to its first LEC crown. Eastern won the 2007 championship at home, defeating Keene State College on penalty kicks.
Against Rhode Island, Eastern sophomore Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ) made three diving saves on low shots headed inside the post to preserve his fourth full shutout of the season. He was credited with five saves in all.
Eastern had two prime scoring chances go by the board in the first half, one of them prior to Boretti scoring the game-winning goal. The first came when freshman Cory Tobler (Portland) one-timed a crossing pass from Fantl over the crossbar with 17 minutes left in the first half. With three minutes left in the first half and Eastern leading 1-0, freshman Jon DeCasanova (Glastonbury) headed a free kick from Smiles off the right post.
In this year's two games, Eastern did not allow Rhode Island to score a goal. In the regular-season win, the Anchormen were credited with an "own" goal after an Eastern defender inadvertently scored into the Eastern net on a clearing attempt. In two wins, Eastern allowed RIC top scorer Bruno Costa just one shot, that coming midway through the second half Wednesday.
The win for Eastern is its 15th and equals its total of a year ago, which is the second-most wins in a season. Saturday, the Warriors will attempt to tie the season record of 16, set in 1969. Now 8-1-1 at home, Eastern shut out UMass Dartmouth, 3-0, 11 days ago at North Dartmouth, MA.
Eastern senior starting forward Sean Capezzone (Colchester) left the match 11 minutes into action with a left knee injury. His status for Saturday's game is uncertain.
Eastern Conn. 2, Rhode Island College 0
Rhode Island (9-8-2) 0 0 -- 0
Eastern Conn. (15-4-1) 1 1 -- 2
Scoring: Nicholas Boretti (Aaron Smiles) 42:36; Maxim Fantl (Smiles) 59:26.
Shots: R-10, E-12; Saves: R-Helder Fastino 3, E-Carl Appel 5.
Corner kicks: R-7, E-7.
