UAlbany Men's Soccer Enters America East Championship Tournament As #2 Seed

UAlbany Men's Soccer Enters America East Championship Tournament As #2 Seed with tie versus Vermont today. UAlbany Will Host AE Championship Semi-Final Round On Wed. Nov.12. More to come...

Albany, N.Y. – Steward Ceus recorded his 19th career shutout as the University at Albany men’s soccer team played America East Conference opponent Vermont to a 0-0 draw in the teams' regular-season finale on Sunday, Nov. 2 at Varsity Field. With the tie, the Great Danes earned the second seed in the six-team America East Tournament and a bye in the first round.

“As a coach, you can not expect anything more than what we got here today,” said head coach Johan Aarnio. “The players gave all they had and left it on the field to get first or at least second place and a bye in the first round. That was accomplished, which gives us a tremendous situation. We left the field with our chins up, and we will be back in a week and a half to try and win a championship.”

UAlbany (12-3-2, 5-1-2 AE) had the first chance for either team to score in the 10th minute when Gaby Seguin-Gauthier took a shot from just inside the box. The ball was saved by UVM goalkeeper Roger Scully and bounced out, but he was able to recover and take control of the rebound before a Great Dane striker could get to it first.

Vermont (8-3-7, AE 4-1-3) had two excellent opportunities to score in the 34th minute, but the Great Dane defense was able to deny each attempt. Yannick Lewis headed a shot on goal that got past Ceus, but Mikael McNamara was there to head the ball away and out of bounds. On the ensuing corner kick taken by Jordan Carsilneck, T.J. Gore fired a low shot to the right post which made its way past a diving Ceus. However, Ian Peach was able to punch the ball back out before it crossed the goal line and keep the match scoreless.

UAlbany’s best chance to score in the second half arguably came in the 79th minute. L.J. Papaleo’s shot from the top of the box was blocked and bounced over to Claudio Dantas, who was about 12 yards out on the left side. Dantas had a look at the far post and ripped a shot, but Vermont goalkeeper Roger Scully dove on the ground and covered the ball up.
With under two minutes remaining in the second overtime, UVM’s Crasilneck made a through-pass to Kyle Luetkehans. However, Mikael McNamara recovered in time to block the shot, and Ceus grabbed the ball before it could make its way in the net. By holding on for the tie, the Great Danes set a Division I program record for extending their unbeaten streak to seven matches.

“Defensively, we are proud as a group to get the clean sheet and shutout,” said co-captain and defender Erik DiLorenzo after the match. “We have a good mixture of some new guys such as Konner McNamara and some more experienced players such as Hilco Beeks, Mikael McNamara and myself. Steward, as always, was big in the goal for us."

UAlbany’s Ceus recorded his career-best seventh shutout of the season, making five saves on 17 opportunities. The Great Dane defense was credited with two team saves. UVM’s Scully made four saves on 16 chances to earn his eighth shutout of the year.

“After what happened last year, this has been a great turnaround season for us,” added DiLorenzo. “I think everyone is very happy with where we finished. It will not matter who we play in the tournament. We are just going to look to get some wins.”

Seniors Kenneth Ibe, Don Johnson, Mikael McNamara, Seguin-Gauthier, DiLorenzo and Ceus were recognized for their contributions to the program prior to the match.

Vermont (8-3-7, AE 4-1-3) 0 0 0 0 - 0

UAlbany (12-3-2, AE 5-1-2) 0 0 0 0 - 0

Vermont: Scoring – None. Goalkeeping: Roger Scully (110:00, 0 GA, 4 saves).
UAlbany: Scoring – None. Goalkeeping: Steward Ceus (110:00, 0 GA, 5 saves).