Brookville, N.Y. - For the second time in the past three years, the Adelphi University men's soccer team is the best in the east.
The top-seeded Panthers (17-3-2) blanked Long Island rival LIU Post to win the NCAA Division II East Region crown at Pioneer Soccer Park on Thursday afternoon to advance to the national quarterfinals on Saturday.
The Brown and Gold got an early goal from
Patrick Guier in the first half, just 1:21 into the contest, before
James Thristino added insurance at the start of the second half to earn Adelphi a second regional crown over the Pioneers, having also scored a 4-0 shutout victory in the same round on the same field two years ago.
In a game which began under gray skies, the second half was played under increasing snowfall, with whiteout conditions becoming the story of the second half.
Adelphi out-shot LIU Post by a 9-5 margin in a physical game, which saw five yellow cards before a straight red was issued to the Pioneers' Javier Rehberger Martin in the 86th minute.
Matt Apicella made four saves in net for the Panthers, including two in the early stages of the second half when the game was still finely poised at 1-0.
Adelphi will face the Golden Rams, out of West Chester University in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), for a spot in Division II Fall Festival after Thanksgiving.
The second-seeded Rams ended the title defense of top seeds and 2017 NCAA Division II champions Charleston (W.Va.) in the other regional final on Thursday morning in Brookville, 1-0, to take the Atlantic Region trophy.
Kick-off on Saturday afternoon is slated for 1 p.m., with a spot in the NCAA Division II national semifinals on the line. Due to field conditions at the host site of LIU Post following the storm, the game will be played at the Hofstra University Soccer Stadium on the campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.
About Adelphi Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009, and in the past nine seasons, has collected 28 regular season conference titles, 30 tournament championships, 41 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup four times (2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017), while winning six NCAA Division II National Championships.
For the latest on Adelphi University Athletics, follow the Panthers at www.aupanthers.com or via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat.
