Box Score VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
MANCHESTER, N.H. – A pair of goals by senior Kenny Doublette (Port-au-Prince, Haiti) lifted top-seeded Southern New Hampshire University to a 2-0 win over No. 5 seed Merrimack College in the semifinal round of the 2014 Northeast-10 Men's Soccer Championship Friday night at Larkin Field. The Penmen improve to 16-1-1 and will host second-seeded Southern Connecticut State University in Sunday's conference final (1:00 pm) after the Owls rallied for a 2-1 win over Adelphi University Friday night. Merrimack, which is ranked third in the East Region and must now wait to learn its NCAA fate, stands 13-4-2.
SNHU defeated Southern Connecticut 5-0 when the two teams met in New Haven, Conn. on October 11. The Penmen will make their fourth straight NE-10 title game appearance on Sunday, becoming the first team to do that since Saint Anselm qualified four straight years from 1998-2001. SNHU, which has captured the NE-10 championship in each of the past two seasons, is looking for their sixth overall crown and to become the first team to win three straight titles since Merrimack did so from 1995-97.
Southern New Hampshire has now won 24 straight at home dating back to last season, tying a program record set from 1988-90.
Doublette staked Southern New Hampshire to a 1-0 lead just 5:28 into the contest. He took a pass from Sebastian Stezewski (New Britain, Conn.) and his shot from the right of the top of the 18 clanged off the far left post and in for his 13th goal of the season. The hosts carried a 1-0 lead into halftime.
In the 60th minute, Doublette added an insurance goal, taking a long pass from Stezewski, streaking down the right side, and firing to the far right post to make it 2-0.
Southern New Hampshire carried play much of the contest, holding an 18-3 shot advantage. Graduate student keeper Dom DiMaggio (Rome, N.Y.) was not forced to make a save for his seventh shutout of the season, while NE-10 Goalkeeper of the Year Jose Silva made a pair of stops in 76 minutes, before being relieved by Lucas Rezende, who was also forced to make two saves. The hosts also took 10 of the game's 11 corner kicks.
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