Men's Soccer Set to Battle Franklin & Marshall in NCAA Tournament First Round

LANCASTER, Pa. — The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team, which captured its first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship this past Saturday, is set to square off against Franklin & Marshall (F&M) in the First Round of the 2022 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament at Tylus Field in Lancaster, Pa. on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. The Blue Jays and 63 other teams saw their fate Monday afternoon during the NCAA Selection Show, and the time is now for the best D-III soccer teams in the country to go head-to-head with first-round matchups commencing on Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12. Here is everything fans need to know about both teams ahead of USJ's NCAA Tournament First Round game, as the Blue Jays look to become the first GNAC team to win a NCAA Tournament game since St. Joseph's College of Maine in 2018.

Tickets are required for admittance to Saturday's contest. Tickets will be available at the door and are $6 for adults, $3 for students and $2 for children.
 
USJ BLUE JAYS (13-3-3) at FRANKLIN & MARSHALL DIPLOMATS (12-2-4) 
LOCATION: Tylus Field (Lancaster, Pa.) 
DATE/TIME: Saturday, Nov. 12 (1 p.m.)  
WATCH: Centennial Conference.TV 
LIVE STATS: Live Stats 
TWITTER: @USJ_BlueJays | #FearTheFlock | #GoBlueJays 
 
USJ QUICK HITS 

• USJ earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history after defeating Johnson & Wales, 2-1, in the GNAC Championship game this past Saturday.
• After trailing 1-0 at the half, the Blue Jays stormed back, scoring twice in the closing 45 minutes to claim its first conference championship.
• The Blue Jays' offense is led by a trio of veterans: senior Benjamin Marchetti (Higganum, Conn.), junior Dane Stephens (Jamaica), and graduate student DeAnte Anderson (Bloomfield, Conn.).
• Marchetti paces the team with 13 goals and 29 points. Anderson has been equally impressive, boasting 11 goals and six assists for 28 points, while Stephens serves as the team's top playmaker, dishing out nine assists on the season.
• Anderson and Stephens were both named to the All-GNAC Second Team, while Marchetti earned an All-GNAC Third Team nod.
• Senior Michael Torres (Hartford, Conn.) has been a staple in the midfield, starting in 17 of the team's 19 games. An All-GNAC First Team selection, he has scored six goals, including the game winner in the GNAC Championship, while dishing out six assists on the year.
• Senior Matthew Goebel (Norton, Mass.) leads the Blue Jays goalkeeping core, starting in net in both the GNAC semifinals and championship games.
• Goebel has allowed only one goal across eight appearances this season, boasting a 0.15 goals-against average. He also has recorded five shutouts, 22 saves and a .957 save percentage.
• With a victory, it would mark the first NCAA Tournament victory in school history.

SCOUTING F&M 

• F&M, who was ranked No. 7 in the country in the final United Soccer Coaches (USC) Top-25 Poll, earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after finishing the year with a 12-2-4 record.
• The Diplomats were the top-seed in the Centennial Conference Playoffs, but fell to eventual champions Muhlenberg, 2-0, in the semifinals.
• F&M will be making its 12th appearance all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including a Centennial Conference record ninth-consecutive appearance. The Diplomats also will be hosting NCAA Tournament matches for the seventh time during its current run of NCAA Tournament success and for the eighth time in program history.
• F&M is paced by the offensive duo of Oscar Horwitz and Shay Adamson. The pair were recently selected to the All-Centennial Conference First Team. Horwitz is the main goalscoring threat, pacing the team with seven goals and 15 points, while Adamson boasts three goals, three assists and nine points.
• Joining Horwitz and Adamson on the First Team was defender Connor Anderko. Anderko led a backline that recorded eight shutouts on the season.
• Sam Farrell leads the Diplomats goalkeeping core, starting in 16 of the team's 18 games.
• Farrell has recorded six clean sheets on the season, while posting 59 saves, a .819 save percentage and a 0.81 goals-against average.

INSIDE THE SERIES 

• Saturday marks the first time the Blue Jays and Diplomats meet on the pitch.
• The matchup is also the first time USJ takes on a team from the Keystone State.
• The Blue Jays will play their first-ever opponent from the Centennial Conference, while the Diplomats are 1-0 all-time against GNAC foes, defeating Johnson & Wales, 1-0, in the First Round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

UP NEXT 
With a victory, the Blue Jays would advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, playing the winner of the SUNY Cortland versus Medaille matchup on Sunday, November 13. Kickoff from Tylus Field is set for 3:00 p.m.

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