Box Score
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Junior Dominic Samuel (Toronto, Ontario) scored twice as top-seeded Southern New Hampshire University won its third straight Northeast-10 Conference men's soccer tournament title with a 5-2 win over second-seeded Southern Connecticut State University Sunday afternoon at Larkin Field. The Penmen upped their record to 17-1-1, while the Owls are now 15-4 with the loss. Both teams are expected to hear their name called Monday night when the NCAA announces the field for the 2014 Division II Men's Soccer Championship. That selection show airs at 7:30 pm on NCAA.com.
Southern New Hampshire becomes the first team to win three straight Northeast-10 tournament championships since Merrimack College did so from 1995-97. The Penmen claimed their sixth tourney title, tying Saint Anselm College for the most in league history. The Penmen also extended their home win streak at Larkin Field to 25 games, a program record eclipsing the 24 straight won from 1988-90.
Samuel staked the Penmen to a 1-0 lead 10:31 into the game as Jonathan Lupinelli (Mont de Marsan, France) sent a corner kick in from the left side, which Samuel headed home for his third goal of the season. Southern Connecticut tied the game in the 29th minute when Daquan King scored his 10th goal of the season. Penmen goalie Dom DiMaggio (Rome, N.Y.) came out of position to play Markus Jacobsen on the left-wing, and Jacobsen slipped a ball over to King, who beat DiMaggio as he was scrambling back to the goal.
The Penmen reclaimed the lead just under six minutes later as Brian Grisell (Brookfield, Conn.), who had checked into the game moments earlier, scored on a feed from Ryan Reynolds (Springfield, Mass.) out in front of Owl keeper Noah Varonier. Samuel scored on another set-piece 4:43 before intermission, as Miguel Carneiro (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) sent a corner kick to the far left post, which Callum Williams (Ossett, England) redirected in front of the goal to Samuel who put it away to make it 3-1.
Jacobsen pulled the Owls within a goal just under seven minutes into the second half when he collected an errant clearing attempt and fired through DiMaggio's legs for his 10th goal of the season. It would remain a 3-2 game until the 72nd minute, when Orri Gustafsson (Akureyri, Iceland), played closely by an SCSU defender in the box, spun and one-timed a shot past Varonier for his fifth goal of the season. Kenny Doublette (Port au Prince, Haiti) assisted on the goal. Gilbert Manier (Kigali, Rwanda) closed out the scoring in the 81st minute when he took a through ball from Sofiane Tergou (Bitche, France) and after taking a small touch, fired past Varonier for his fifth tally of the campaign.
DiMaggio made four saves for Southern New Hampshire, while Veronier made six saves over the game's first 84:16 before being relieved by Robert Gallucci, who was not forced to make a save. The Penmen outshot the Owls 16-8 and took seven of the game's nine corner kicks.
Lupinelli was named the Most Valuable Player of the NE-10 Championship, and he was joined on the All-Championship team by Samuel and Gustafsson. Jacobsen and Sebastian Brems were named to the team from Southern Connecticut.
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Championship MVP Jonathan Lupinelli with Northeast-10 Associate Commissioner Jacob VanRyn
