No. 25 Men's Soccer Suffers Heartbreaking Defeat, 3-2, vs. Adelphi on Senior Day
Links: Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The 25th-ranked Merrimack College men's soccer team suffered a 3-2 defeat against Adelphi University in the regular season finale at Martone-Mejail Field on Friday night.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 2 | Adelphi 3
Records: Merrimack (12-3-2, 8-3-2 NE-10) | Adelphi (11-5-1, 9-4 NE-10)
Location: Martone-Mejail Field | North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
The matchup posted two of the top four teams in the conference entering the final weekend of the regular season.
Before the game began, seniors Michael Buraczynski (Littleton, Mass.), Henrique Etges (Venancio Aires, Brazil), Ignacio Farias (West Roxbury, Mass.), Ryan Miller (Holden, Mass.), Michael Rincon (Medford, Mass.), Jose Silva (Northborough, Mass.), and Andrew Suttle (Northbrook, Ill.) were honored as part of the Senior Day ceremonies.
Once the contest began, Adelphi took the pace of play to Merrimack. In the fourth minute, senior Juan Aguiar began what would become a memorable night for the Panther forward, as he scored off a one-timed shot to give the Panthers a 1-0 advantage.
Midway through the first half, Aguiar scored his second of the afternoon to give Adelphi a two-goal lead.
Like he has all season long, freshman Michael Dushman (Bedford, Mass.) came onto the field as a substitute and provided instant offense. In the 41st minute, sophomore Joseph Briers (Nottingham, England) played a through ball to Dushman, who volleyed a shot into the left side of the net. Merrimck entered halftime trailing 2-1.
The first 25 minutes of the second half went by scoreless, then in the 72nd minute the Panthers were awarded a penalty kick after Merrimack committed a foul in the box. Aguiar stepped to dot and scored to record the hat trick, giving Adelphi a two-goal lead once again.
The Warriors would not go away. With less than ten minutes remaining, Buraczynski delivered a long throw-in towards the box, where freshman Mattia Lanzi (Viterbo, Italy) headed the ball off the far post and into the net to cut the deficit in half.
The Navy and Gold could not push the equalizer across the goal mouth over the waning minutes, losing for the first time at home this year, and snapping its season-long, five-game winning streak.
Inside The Numbers
- The Warriors shutout streak was snapped after 453:21 of gametime without allowing a goal
- Silva totaled four saves in the loss for the Warriors
- Lanzi's goal marks the first of his career and Buraczynski notched his first assist of the season
- Dushman's goal was the fifth of his rookie campaign, tying him for the team lead
NE-10 Postseason Outlook:
Top-eight qualify
1. Southern New Hampshire (10-1-1)
2. Southern Connecticut (10-2)
3. Adelphi (9-4)
4. Merrimack (8-3-2)
5. Le Moyne (8-4)
6. Stonehill (8-4)
7. Franklin Pierce (6-5-1)
8. American International (6-7)
9. Bentley (5-7-1)
10. St. Michael's (5-8)
11. St. Anselm (4-9)
12. Assumption (3-8-2)
13. Saint Rose (1-10-1)
14. New Haven (1-12-0)
Tie-Breaker scenarios:
1. Compare Regular Season head-to-head results.
2. If still tied, then compare each team's record versus the team occupying the highest position in the standings. Continue down through the standings until one team gains an advantage.
Merrimack's seeding will depend on tomorrow's matchup between Stonehill and Le Moyne. If the Skyhawks and Dolphins draw, the Warriors will host the NE-10 Quarterfinals and finish fourth in the conference. If either Stonehill or Le Moyne win, Merrimack will fall to the five seed and play on the road to begin the postseason.
Up Next
The Warriors will play in the NE-10 Quarterfinals beginning on Tuesday.
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