NASHUA, N.H. – The Rivier men's soccer team is heading to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinal for the first time since the 2001 campaign, advancing after a penalty-kick shootout victory over Emmanuel (Mass.) on Saturday afternoon.
The Raiders will host No.6 Norwich on Tuesday November 4 at Joanne Merrill Field.
Rivier struck first in the 20th minute when first-year Vincent Arsenov fed classmate Tanner Keenan, who set up sophomore Kamar Matthew-Murray for the 1–0 finish. Emmanuel answered in the second half, and after a 1–1 draw through regulation and two scoreless overtimes, the match went to penalties.
In the shootout, first-year David Pereira, sophomore Alejandro Quezada, Arsenov, and sophomore Luiggi Ferreira all converted from the spot, while junior goalkeeper Logan Clough came up with two massive saves to seal the 4–2 PK victory and send the Raiders through. Following Clough's standout performance, he earned GNAC Goalkeeper of the Week honors.
Norwich closed out the regular season 6-4-2 in GNAC play to earn the No. 6 seed and also advanced in penalties after edging No. 3 Regis in the quarterfinal. The Pride scored first on a 12th-minute corner, but the Cadets pulled even in the 80th. The 1–1 draw held through regulation and two overtime periods before Norwich prevailed 3–2 in the shootout.
In their meeting in the regular season, Rivier snapped a 30-match winless streak against Norwich with a 3–1 road win on October 15. Matthew-Murray opened the scoring in the first minute, connecting with Pereira and Keenan followed by junior Andrew Lennox's first collegiate goal off a Quezada corner. Keenan added the third, also assisted by Quezada, before the Cadets cut it to 3–1 in the 69th minute.
The Cadets' attack is led by Diego Fuentes, who tops the team with 19 points (7 goals, 5 assists), followed by Shea Perkins with 12 points on six goals. In net, Kirk Rodgers carries a 7-3-3 record with five shutouts and an .800 save percentage.
The winner of Tuesday's matchup will advance to face either No. 1 Saint Joseph (Conn.) or No. 4 Saint Joseph's (Maine), who kick off at the same time in West Hartford, Conn.
