Trinity Men's Soccer Takes On Amherst In NESCAC Semifinals At Middlebury Saturday
Hartford, Conn., Nov. 6, 2008 - The No. 3-seeded Trinity College Bantams, which defeated No. 6-seeded Tufts, 2-0, on Sunday to improve to 11-4, its best record since 1999, and earn its first trip to the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Men's Soccer Championship Semifinals, will play the No. 2-seeded Amherst College Lord Jeffs in its semifinal game on Saturday., Nov. 8 at 1:30 p.m. Amherst, ranked No. 8 in New England, has a 10-3-2 record after a 2-0 win against Wesleyan on Sunday. Top-seeded Middlebury, ranked No. 1 in New England and No. 6 in the nation, faces No. 4-seeded Williams in the other NESCAC Semifinal contest and the winners will play in the NESCAC Finals on Sunday, Nov. 9 at noon. The winner of the NESCAC Championship Tournament will determine the league's automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. Both the semifinals and final rounds will be played at Middlebury College and will be webcast live at d3cast.com/index.php.
Trinity, coached by Michael Pilger (5th season) defeated Tufts for the second time this season for first-ever win in the NESCAC Tourney (0-3 prior to 2008). The Bantams, ranked No. 4 in New England, dropped a 2-1 decision in overtime at home against the Lord Jeffs in the regular season finale and have lost nine games in a row to Amherst dating back to a 3-2, overtime win in the 1999 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Championship. That game was also played at Middlebury.
Trinity senior forward Nick Cantone (New York, N.Y.) had a goal and an assist and classmate Zac Trudeau (Norwell, Mass.) made four saves to earn a shutout in goal in the quarterfinal win against Tufts. Cantone scored in the 20th minute on a rebound, and Bantam junior midfielder Chris Doran (Wayland, Mass.) gave Trinity an insurance goal in the 77th minute on assists by sophomore midfielder Peter Marlette (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Cantone.
Trinity is second in the NESCAC statistically in scoring with 2.33 goals per game (35), and third on defense with 0.90 goals allowed per contest. Junior forward Sam Wisner (Wayland, Mass.) is tied for the league lead with 0.57 assists per game (8, 20th in nation) to go with 0.57 goals per game (8, 5th in NESCAC), for 1.71 ppg (24, 3rd in NESCAC). Cantone and Marlette are tied for third in the conference in assists with 0.47 per game (7 each), while Cantone adds 0.53 goals per game (8, 6th in NESCAC) for 1.53 ppg (23, 5th in NESCAC), and Marlette has three goals and 13 points. Freshman forward Dan Mayernick (Gladwyne, Pa.) has seven goals and two assists for 16 points, and senior tri-captain midfielder Michael van Beuren (Spring City, Pa.) has a goal and six assists for eight points. Van Beuren and fellow senior tri-captain Dan Kupper (Wethersfield, Conn.), who has a goal and two assists this fall, give the Bantams two of the most consistent one-two punches in all facets of the game in the midfield, as both have been starters throughout their collegiate careers.
Trudeau boasts a league-high 87 saves for an .870 save percentage (2nd in NESCAC) and 13 goals allowed for a 0.86 GAA (4th in NESCAC). Trudeau has enjoyed the benefit of playing behind a tremendously solid set of Bantams backs that includes senior tri-captain Phil Yeager (Hinsdale, Ill.), juniors John Graves (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Jason Kulik (Salem, Mass.), sophomore Doug Stupay (McLean, Va.).
