#3 Seed Men’s Soccer Visits #2 Seed New England College in NECC Semifinals Thursday

#3 Seed Men’s Soccer Visits #2 Seed New England College in NECC Semifinals Thursday
November 5, 2019

QUINCY, Mass.- The No. 3 seed Eastern Nazarene College men's soccer team travels to second-seeded New England College for a New England Collegiate Conference Tournament semifinal clash Thursday.

BASICS:
Date: 11/7/19
Location: Don Melander Field | Henniker, N.H.
Time: 2:00 pm
Follow: Live Stats | Live Video

 

HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Eastern Nazarene finished the regular season with a 13-3-0 overall record to go with a 4-2 league mark to claim the No. 3 seed in the New England Collegiate Conference Tournament. The Lions blanked sixth-seeded Dean 2-0 in the NECC quarterfinals on goals from Bryan Vargas (San Jose, Costa Rica) and Charlie Swann (London, England). New England College earned the No. 2 seed with an 8-10-0 record on the year and a 4-2-0 mark in conference play.

 

POSTSEASON HISTORY:
Eastern Nazarene is making its second-straight trip to the NECC Tournament and 10th all-time postseason appearance. Last fall, the Lions clipped Lesley in overtime in the NECC Tournament first round before falling to Mitchell in the NECC semifinals.

 

ENC vs. NEC – ALL-TIME SERIES:
Eastern Nazarene and New England College have met on the pitch 35 times in the all-time series. The Lions own a 12-19-4 all-time record against the Pilgrims. Earlier this season, Eastern Nazarene dropped a 4-2 decision at New England College to end its 13-match winning-streak.

 

DEFEND THE DEN:
The Lions sport a 10-0-0 record in home games this season and have won their last 11 home matches. Eastern Nazarene has outscored visiting teams 30-9 this fall while limiting opponents to less than 12 shot attempts per game.

 

GOLAZOS GALORE:
Eastern Nazarene paces the conference with 41 goals on the year and 31 assists. Junior Charlie Swann (London, England) leads the league and ranks 19th in NCAA Division III with 16 tallies this season. Junior Leon Zaffonato (Canela, Brazil) paces the NECC with eight assists to go along with eight markers. The Lions have had 13 different goal-scorers this fall.



POSTSEASON ACCOLADES:
Eastern Nazarene garnered a league-best seven All-New England Collegiate Conference nods, as the conference announce the postseason awards Friday. Junior Charlie Swann (London, England) was named the NECC Player of the Year. Edmilson Centeio (New Bedford, Mass.), Stanley Elie (Roslindale, Mass.), Ismael Lobo (Brockton, Mass.), Carlos Moya (Oviedo, Spain), and Leon Zaffonato (Canela, Brazil) all joined Swann on the All-NECC first team while Tyler Ferreira (Berkley, Mass.) was tabbed to the All-NECC second team. Fourth-year head coach Mark Bell was voted the 2019 NECC Coach of the Year.