NCAA First Round Preview: Men’s Soccer at Conn. College Saturday

SUFFOLK vs. CONN. COLLEGE
Date Time Venue Video Stats Notes Series	Saturday, Nov. 16 11:00 AM Freeman Field New London, Conn. NCAA.com CamelAthletics.com GoSuffolkRams.com First Meeting

BOSTON – The path to the NCAA Division III Championship will begin in New London, Connecticut for Suffolk men's soccer as the Rams are set to take on Connecticut College in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament Saturday, Nov. 16 at 11:00 a.m. 

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets will be available at the three entrances to Freeman Field with all gates open at 10 a.m. on Saturday and 12 p.m. on Sunday.  

Tickets are eligible for all events the day of purchase. Per the NCAA, ticket prices are set for $6 for adults, $3 for senior citizens, veterans and students (with ID), $12 for children under 12 and children under 2 are free. Cash or credit card is accepted. 

MORE INFO: NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament Ticket Information

FOLLOW ALONG
Don't miss any of the action from the 2024 NCAA DIII Men's Soccer Tournament. Suffolk's match against Connecticut College will be broadcast live on NCAA.com and live stats can be followed here.  

To scout the field and for more information, please visit the official tournament central page here.

SOCIALIZE
Ram Nation has a chance to keep up with all the latest news and notes on Suffolk Athletics, its student-athletes and teams by following the Rams on  Facebook, Instagram and X. Fans are encouraged to use the hashtag #RamNation a behind-the-scene look at Suffolk Athletics.

NCAA BREAKDOWN
The NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament features a 64-team bracket with first round action set to get underway Saturday, Nov. 16 and a champion to be crowned Saturday, Dec. 7 in Las Vegas.  

Forty-three (43) conferences were awarded automatic qualification for the championship. The other 21 berths were reserved for an at-large berth, which includes institutions from automatic-qualifying conferences that did not win their conference championship. 

All tournament games leading up to the national semifinals will be played on the campuses of the competing institutions. 

MORE INFO: NCAA ANNOUNCEMENT | INTERACTIVE BRACKET | PRTINABLE BRACKET 

TTICKET PUNCHED
Suffolk earned its spot in the NCAA Tournament when it shot past Roger Williams in penalty kicks in the Conference of New England (CNE) Championship Saturday, Nov. 9 to be one of 43 automatic qualifiers to the Big Dance. 

SUFFOLK IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

• Suffolk will make its second-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, first since 2010. 
• The Rams fell to Williams, 8-0, in its first and only NCAA Tournament contest, Nov. 13, 2010.  

THE CNE IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

• Since 1999 there has been a member of the CNE in the NCAA DIII Men's Soccer Tournament Field. 
• Overall, there have been 36 NCAA Tournament contests with a CNE member involved. 
• CNE teams have combined for an overall 11-18-7 record in the NCAA Tourney. 
• In the first round, CNE teams have assembled a combined 11-9-6 ledger. 
• A CNE team has never advanced further than the second round while competing as a league member. 
• The last time a CNE team has moved on from the first round was in 2015 when Gordon advanced. 
• Overall, a CNE team has only advanced from the first round eight times. 
• A CNE member has needed overtime in the NCAA Tourney to decide a winner 11 times. 
• A CNE institution is 1-3-7 overtime in the NCAA Championship. 
• NCAA Tournament tilts have gone into double over time eight times with a CNE program competition. 
• CNE squads are 1-0-7 in double overtime in the Big Dance. 
• The last and only overtime win by a CNE institution in the NCAA Tournament came in the first round by Gordon when it beat Carnegie Mellon, 2-1, in double overtime. 
• A NCAA Tournament contest has gone into a shootout seven times. 
• A CNE team has never advanced via PKs. 
• The last PK contest for a CNE team in the NCAA Tournament was the first round game featuring Roger Williams against No. 15 St. Lawrence. After a 0-0, double overtime draw, the Hawks fell in the shootout, 5-4. 
• There has been 20 shutouts in the NCAA Tournament game that featured a CNE team. 
• CNE teams are 8-8-4 in the NCAA Tourney in shutouts. 
• The last shutout in the NCAA Championship with a CNE team involved was the first round of 2023 when Western New England fell at No. 4 Middlebury, 3-0.  
• The last shutout win by a CNE Tournament Team was in the 2014 first round when Nichols blanked  UMass Boston, 1-0.  

* Both Western New England and Suffolk made appearances in the NCAA Tournaments prior to joining the league. The above figures only include contests of programs when they belonged and competed under the CNE (formerly CCC) umbrella. 

SUFFOLK vs. 2024 NCAA TOURNAMENT FIELD

• The Rams own a 1-12-3 record against teams in the 2024 NCAA DIII Men's Soccer Tournament. 
• In its history, Suffolk has faced Amherst (0-1-0), Babson (0-3-2), St. Joseph (Conn.) (0-1-1), Tufts (0-6-0) and Westfield State (1-1-0). 
• This season, Suffolk took on Amherst and Babson. The Rams lost to the Mammoths, 4-0, Sept. 4 and slipped to the Beavers, 1-0, Oct. 8. 

POSTSEASON PLAY

• Suffolk is in the midst of its 22nd overall postseason appearance, second in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2010. 
• Suffolk won its second conference tournament, first CNE title and first since capturing the 2010 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) crown
• The Rams advanced to the conference championship for the third time in program history, first since 2022. 
• The Rams are 3-2-3 in the postseason in the Bill Maddock era. 
• Suffolk has needed extra time to determine a winner in a league postseason game five times.
• The Rams are 1-1-3 in OT outings in the playoffs. 
• Suffolk went into a PK shootout in the postseason three times, including this season's championship contest. 
• The Rams have advanced via PKs twice, the 2024 CNE Championship, a 3-2 shootout decision over Roger Williams and in the 2022 conference quarterfinals versus Salve Regina, Oct. 29, 2022, via a 5-4 shootout. 
• Suffolk was eliminated via PKs once, in 2023 semis at WNE, Oct. 31, 2023, via a 4-3 shootout. 
• Eighteen (18) of Suffolk's 30 postseason games have come via shutouts. The Rams are 5-13-0 in shutouts in a conference postseason. 
• At home, the Rams are 3-1-0 in postseason shutouts. 
• On the road, Suffolk sports a 2-12-0 postseason cleansheet record. 
• Suffolk's last shutout in the postseason came in this year's semifinal contest, a 1-0 win over third seed Western New England.
• Suffolk potted three goals in the CNE Quarterfinals game against Salve Regina Oct. 29, 2022. The three strikes are the most in the playoffs by the Rams in program history. 

RAMS RUNDOWN
Suffolk is unbeaten through its last four games to enter the tournament 10-6-5 overall. That stretch saw 3-0 win at Wentworth and a 1-0 victory over Western New England sandwiched around 1-1 draws versus Roger Williams. 

The Rams' 35-goal offense has received a team-best seven goals by Francisco Valck. Luke Blawn has supplied 13 points to the attack with five goals and three assists. Damon Smargon (4g, 2a) and Diego Pierantozzi (3g, 4a) own 10 points apiece.  

Nathan Harlow had been the blue-and-gold's goal-to keeper this year. The sophomore, who has had back-to-back career-high 10-save performances in the CNE Tournament, carries a 0.88 GAA and .833 save percentage into the Big Dance. He holds a 9-4-5 overall record that features seven shutouts.  

CAMELS CATCHUP
Conn. College, who received votes in the last United Soccer Coaches national poll, gained entry to the 64-team field after winnings its first-ever New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championship when it handed No. 3 Middlebury its first loss of the season, 3-1. Conn advanced through its league tournament with a penalty kick decision over No. 8 Amherst in the quarterfinals and a 2-1 victory against No. 20 Williams in the semis. The 10-2-6 Camels ride a three-game unbeaten streak into Saturday's action. 

There are two players in double-digit scoring led by Matt Scoffone with 16 points on eight goals, while Marco Perugini holds a 12-point stat line behind three goals and a team-best six assists. 

Peter Silvester has started every game in between the sticks for Conn. He holds a 0.853 save percentage and a 0.61 goals against average with 10 total cleansheets.  

CONN. COLLEGE IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

• The Camels will make their seventh overall NCAA Tournament trip, second straight. 
• Conn. College has had success in the national tournament in its storied history with the 2021 NCAA Champion on its resume.  

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Suffolk and Connecticut College will meet for the first time.  

STATS SHOWDOWN

LAST TIME OUT
The second seeded Suffolk men's soccer team won their first Conference of New England Championship over fifth seeded Roger Williams thanks to penalty kicks Saturday afternoon at James A. Sartori Stadium at East Boston Memorial Park. 

Behind Brady Sorensen's 73rd-minute goal, which was assisted by Tommy Handelsman, Suffolk tied the conference championship at 1-all, to force the extra sessions, which went scoreless to force penalty kicks to decide the champion.

Nathan Harlow commanded the net through 110 minutes, while Mateu Farre-Torres took over defending the Rams' goal post for the shootout. 

Senior Taj Jensen, sophomore Luke Blawn and grad student Dan Colbert made their PKs, while Farre-Torres blocked three out of the five to seal Suffolk's championship fate. 

MORE READING: CNE Champions! Men's Soccer Claims Crown on PKs After Dramatic 1-1 Draw with RWU

SUFFOLK SCORES

RAMS RECOGNITION
Suffolk men's soccer had a program-record seven Rams collected All-CNE status for the second straight season the Conference of New England office unveiled late Friday afternoon.  

Jack Phelps and Francisco Valck were named to the first-team, Taj Jensen, Matthew Belluardo, Tommy Handelsman and Nathan Harlow were selected to the second team and Ricardo Feliciani took a spot on the third-team.  

The seven all-league honorees tie the most in a single season in the Rams record book with last season.  

MORE READING: Men's Soccer Ties All-CNE Record with Seven Honors 

WHAT'S NEXT?
The winner of Saturday morning's match will advance to Sunday, Nov. 17 against the victory of the Franklin & Marshall and WestConn battle. Kick-off of that second-round tilt is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.