Box Score BOX SCORE
RAPID REACTION: HEAD COACH JOSH TAYLOR
When and Where: November 6, 2015 – Manchester, N.H. (Larkin Field)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 2, Bentley University 0
Records: SNHU 17-1-0, Bentley 10-7-1
Junior Gilbert Manier (Kigali, Rwanda) notched a goal and an assist to lead the third-ranked and top-seeded Southern New Hampshire University men's soccer team to a 2-0 victory against fourth-seeded Bentley University in a Northeast-10 Conference Championship semifinal contest Friday night at Larkin Field.
The Penmen advance to their fifth consecutive Northeast-10 Championship final and will take on third-seeded Adelphi University, which topped Merrimack College 2-1 in the other semifinal, on Sunday, Nov. 8 (1 p.m.) at Larkin Field.
Southern New Hampshire was able to jump ahead just over 18 minutes into the first half when graduate student Orri Gustafsson (Akureyri, Iceland) netted his first goal of the year. After Manier collected a pass outside the left side of the Bentley box, he struck a one-touch cross through traffic into the middle of the penalty area that Gustafsson redirected past the Falcons' keeper to stake the hosts to a 1-0 advantage.
Manier doubled the lead in the 37th minute with his first of the 2015 campaign. Graduate student Sofiane Tergou (Bitche, France) started the play as he knocked down a Bentley clearing attempt 10 yards out from the box, maintained possession and found fellow graduate student Robert Brown (Brussels, Belgium). Brown turned and hit a streaking Manier in stride, and he dribbled into the left side of the box before unloading a shot just inside the right post with 8:43 remaining.
The Penmen defense made the lead stand as it held the Falcons, who were playing a man down after a red card at 15:59, to four total shots and one shot on goal. Senior Nick Zucco (Ludlow, Mass.) made his lone save of the evening in the 69th minute, when he sprawled to his right to snare a Brett Ripperger header attempt that preserved the 2-0 lead and his seventh shutout of the season.
Notes:
- SNHU outshot Bentley by a 21-4 margin, which included a 12-0 edge in the first half.
- The Penmen extended their Northeast-10 Championship winning streak to 11 matches, and have won 13 of their previous 14 in the conference tournament.
Up Next:
Southern New Hampshire will look to become the first school in the history of the Northeast-10 Conference to win four consecutive men's soccer championships when it hosts Adelphi on Sunday, Nov. 8 (1 p.m.) at Larkin Field.
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