Game #1: Harvard Crimson (2-1-2) at Stony Brook Seawolves (4-4-0)
Friday, Sept. 24
LaValle Stadium
Stony Brook, N.Y.
7 p.m.
Game #2: Quinnipiac Bobcats (0-4-1) at Stony Brook Seawolves (4-4-0)
Sunday, Sept. 26
LaValle Stadium
Stony Brook, N.Y.
5 p.m.
Harvard Crimson (2-1-2, 0-0-0 Ivy League)
Head Coach: Carl Junot, first season
Career Record: 2-1-2
Record at Harvard: Same
Quinnipiac Bobcats (0-4-1, 0-0-0 Northeast Conference)
Head Coach: Eric Da Costa, sixth season
Career Record: 35-39-22
Record at QU: Same
Stony Brook Seawolves (4-4-0, 0-0-0 America East)
Head Coach: Cesar Markovic, seventh season
Career Record: 148-123-31
Record at SBU: 52-56-19
The Matchups
Stony Brook puts its three-match winning streak on the line this weekend, first against nationally ranked Harvard Friday, then against Quinnipiac on Sunday. The Seawolves have played impressive ball of late to get back to the .500 mark after a struggling start. Against Harvard, this is just the second meeting between clubs, the first coming last season in Cambridge, Mass., where the Crimson came away victorious 4-1. Berian Gobeil Cruz scored the lone goal for SBU. Against Quinnipiac, the Seawolves are 0-1-1, and last season, the two teams played to a 1-1 draw in Hamden, Conn., where Kyle Schelsinger scored for SBU. This will be Stony Brook's second match of the season against an Ivy League opponent (beat Dartmouth 1-0 on Sept. 12) and the third against a member of the NEC (beat Central Connecticut State and Bryant last weekend).
Scouting the Opponents
Harvard has built a consistent national winner, reaching the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four seasons, including a pair of at-large berths, signaling their high position among the elite in NCAA men's soccer. Last season, the Crimson won its 13th Ivy League championship and second in the last four years. The Crimson received a first-round bye, then beat Monmouth before bowing to Maryland in the third round. Carl Junot is in his first season as head coach at Harvard, but had been with the Crimson for two seasons as assistant coach. He briefly left to become head coach at Tufts, but returned once Jamie Martin resigned to become head coach at Creighton. Junot has a very talented group of players that have already knocked off nationally ranked Stanford and tied nationally ranked Connecticut. Harvard itself is also nationally ranked, currently No. 21 in this week's NSCAA/hendrickcars.com National Rankings. The Crimson were No. 6 before losing to UC Santa Barbara and tying New Mexico.
Quinnipiac is off to a rough start this season, winless through five matches. The team opened the season with a loss to nationally ranked Boston College and has since lost to Hartford, Loyola and Providence before battling to a draw with Yale last Tuesday. The Bobcats have recorded winning seasons in each of the last three seasons and advanced to the NEC title game last season, falling to Monmouth. This season, the team is picked to finish second in the NEC. Eric Da Costa is the Bobcats head coach and has overseen a soccer renaissance there. He won a total of seven games in his first two seasons, but has since coached his club to 28 victories over the last three years.
Last Time Out
Leonardo Fernandes paced the Seawolves with both of the team's goals in a 2-1 victory over Bryant last Sunday at LaValle Stadium. He scored the game-winner in the 74th minute on a free kick about 20 yards away from the net. Stefan Manz earned his third straight win in net after making two saves, including a critical stop in the 88th minute.
Fernandes Earns Multiple Honors
Leonardo Fernandes scored seven points last weekend and has been recognized for his efforts. He was named the America East Player of the Week and the SimplexGrinnell Stony Brook Athlete of the Week and was selected to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week.
Four Goals A Plenty
Stony Brook had an offensive outburst last weekend against Central Connecticut State, beating the Blue Devils 4-2. The four goals were the most by a Stony Brook team since putting five on the board on Sept. 11, 2005.
Beating One of the Best
On Sept. 12, the Seawolves knocked off Dartmouth 1-0 on its home field in the Dartmouth Classic Tournament. Stony Brook got a goal from Berian Gobeil Cruz in the 34th minute and keeper Stefan Manz made four saves to preserve the shutout. The victory was big for SBU considering that Dartmouth was receiving votes in last week's NSCAA/hendrickcars.com National Rankings and was fourth in the Northeast Region poll.
Looking For Two Straight
Last season was a magical one for Stony Brook as the Seawolves finished the regular season with a five-match unbeaten streak to get into the America East Tournament, where they dispatched Hartford and UMBC to win the conference title, just the second in program history. This season's squad will look to replicate that success and bring the Seawolves back to the NCAA Tournament. Picked to finish second in America East, Stony Brook opens conference play next Saturday, Oct. 2, against Boston University at LaValle Stadium.
