Men's Semifinal 1 Preview

By D3soccer.com Contributor

NCAA Division III Men's Soccer - National Semifinal 1

Friday, December 4 — 5:00 pm CT No. 4  Amherst (17-1-1) vs. No. 7  Oneonta State (19-3-1)

How they reached the Final Four

2015 Statistical Overview

Amherst Season Review

Coming into this year, many were unsure of what to expect from the Lord Jeffs. Last year, they seemed vulnerable for the first time in years, and losing on PKs in the Sweet 16 to Brandeis saw Amherst exit the NCAA Tournament a round earlier than most would have expected. But Amherst returned a significant amount of firepower, including a front three of seniors Nico Pascual-Leone (11g, 5a) and Greg Singer (6g, 6a) and junior Chris Martin (10g, 5a), as well as senior goalkeeper Thomas Bull, who has a goals against average of 0.22, so there was reason for optimism from Amherst fans.

And the Lord Jeffs set out to prove that they were as good as hype suggested, starting the season 14-0 and achieving the No. 1 ranking. Along the way, they recorded double overtime victories against archrival Williams, NEWMAC contender WPI, and NESCAC foe Tufts. However, just as the whispers about a potential undefeated season were starting, two games in one week showed that Amherst is, in fact, beatable. After an Oct. 28th draw at Trinity (Conn.), the Lord Jeffs lost to Wesleyan at home in the NESCAC quarterfinals, 1-0. Amherst’s misery was compounded by the fact that it had defeated the Cardinals the week before, 5-0, on the same field.

Given its early NESCAC exit, Amherst went from being arguably the consensus NCAA favorite to a mere also-ran. However, instead of damaging morale, the loss turned Amherst into a wounded animal with a point to prove. And prove it did. After a 2-0 second round victory over Morrisville State, Amherst dismissed a young Lycoming side in the Sweet 16 by the same margin behind goals from Andrew Orozco and Pascual-Leone. Waiting for them in the Elite Eight: a talented Trinity (Tx.) squad that had brushed aside Brandeis the day before by two clear goals. The game against the Tigers was a tight, cagey contest that went to double-overtime, but Pascual-Leone did as he has done all year in delivering the winning goal to send Amherst to its first Final Four since 2008.

Oneonta State Season Review

When SUNY Oneonta lost 2-0 at Williams early in the season, many wondered if the Red Dragons would be able to come close to the heights of last year’s squad. A 1-1 tie at Vassar three days later didn’t do anything to quell the doubters, and a 1-0 loss to RPI four days after that certainly got the critics’ attention. Instead of folding, the Red Dragons exploded, winning 10 of its remaining 11 regular season games, with the only blemish being a 1-0 loss at home against SUNY Plattsburgh. In the SUNYAC playoffs, Oneonta got revenge against Plattsburgh, 3-0, before romping SUNY Brockport by the same margin in the SUNYAC final.

The Red Dragons’ run continued in the NCAA tournament as they rolled over CCNY in the first round, 7-0, and dismissed Rutgers-Camden 2-0 in the second round to set up a Sweet 16 meeting with MIT. There, Oneonta was comfortably the better team, scoring a goal in each half and nullifying the Engineers’ offensive threats to win 2-0. Oneonta’s next task, however, was gargantuan: it had to play against red-hot Haverford on its home field in the Elite 8. Although they were under constant pressure, Oneonta managed to withstand attack after attack from the Fords, before striking in overtime to punch its ticket to a second straight Final Four.

Similar to its squad last year, Oneonta has an extremely well-rounded team in all areas of the pitch. The Red Dragons are led by Jake Sutherland, whose 8 goals and 4 assists are tops on the team. But Sutherland is far from the only threat that the Red Dragons have: Cory Santangelo (7g, 2a), Dylan Williams (6g, 4a), Jared Van Brunt (6g, 3a), and Greg Silvestro (3g, 9a) all have 15 or more points on the season. Behind them, goalkeeper Vincent Pellegrino has allowed just nine goals in 23 games for a GAA of 0.41. The Red Dragons play a possession-based style with an emphasis on attacking and pace, a combination that—as its NCAA opponents found out—is too tough for most teams to handle.

Head Coaches

Seniors' 4-year Record (through Nov. 22)

Tournament Experience

Amherst: The Lord Jeffs are a battle-tested NCAA Tournament squad, as evidenced by their impressive winning percentage in knockout games (.750). Since 2010, Amherst has made it to the Sweet 16 or better in each season, with two Elite 8 appearances in 2012 and 2013. And while those two years yielded heartbreaking defeats to Williams, which no doubt was tough to swallow for Serpone’s men, the team managed to bury its Elite 8 demons this year, and arrives in Kansas City for the program’s first Final Four since 2008.

Oneonta State: In its first NCAA Tournament appearance in Division III in 2011, the Red Dragons made a Cinderella run that culminated in a Final Four appearance. The 2012 season saw the Red Dragons crash out in the second round on penalty kicks to Montclair State, while 2013 resulted in a first round loss against Oberlin at Rochester. Since that defeat at Fauver Stadium, however, Oneonta has been victorious in its first four NCAA games both years, and victory in this year’s Final Four matchup would put the Red Dragons in their first Championship game.

Players to Watch

Amherst: F Nico Pascual-Leone (Sr.) – 13 g, 5 a, 5 GWG (2x 1st Team All-NESCAC, 2014 NSCAA 2nd Team All-Region) | GK Thomas Bull (Sr.) – .944 Sv. Pct., 0.22 GAA, 13 ShO (1st Team All-NESCAC) | F Chris Martin (Jr.) – 10g, 5a, 4 GWG | D Justin Aoyama (Jr.) (2nd Team All-NESCAC) | F Greg Singer (Sr.) – 6g, 6a, 3 GWG

Oneonta State: M Dylan Williams (Sr.) – 6g, 4a, 3 GWG (3x 1st Team All-SUNYAC, 2014 D3soccer.com All-American, 2014 SUNYAC POY) | F Jake Sutherland (Sr.) – 8g, 4a (2x 1st Team All-SUNYAC) | D Jared Van Brunt (Sr.) – 6g, 3a, 4 GWG (SUNYAC Def. POY, 1st Team All-SUNYAC) | M Greg Silvestro (Jr.) – 3g, 9a (2nd Team All-SUNYAC) | F Cory Santangelo (So.) – 7g, 2a, 3 GWG (1st Team All-SUNYAC)

Analysis

With four teams arriving in Kansas City in search of their first Division III title in program history, it’s inevitable that there will be a first-time champion this year. This semifinal pits two teams with completely different approaches against each other: one squad is known for its physical, direct approach, while the other is heavily reliant on possession soccer with pace and dynamic attacks.

For a long time, Amherst looked potentially like the No. 1 team in the country. In a year with an incredible amount of parity nationwide, Amherst started the season 14-0. What makes the Lord Jeffs so good? Well, for one, they are incredibly difficult to score against, let alone beat—Amherst has conceded just four goals all year behind the stellar goalkeeping of Thomas Bull. Bull is everything that a team could want in a goalkeeper: he makes excellent reflex saves, commands his box incredibly well, and can serve a ball well past half-field, as evidenced by his two assists this year.

At the other end of the field, Amherst has a front three that any coach would love to have in Chris Martin, Greg Singer, and Nico Pascual-Leone. While all three are dangerous, Pascual-Leone is arguably Amherst’s foremost threat: the winger has five game-winners to his credit this year, including the decisive tally in a key double overtime victory over NESCAC foe Tufts. Pascual-Leone also notched four goals and two game-winners in consecutive road games against Colby and Bates, scoring a bicycle kick in the former game before hitting an impressive hat-trick against the latter opponent. Regardless of the opposition, stopping Pascual-Leone is a tall task, and Oneonta will have their hands full with him and his attacking mates. In order to defeat Amherst, any potential victor has to play a complete 90 minutes—there will be no time for the Red Dragons to switch off against the Lord Jeffs.

Oneonta will be aware of the threat that Amherst poses. However, it’s safe to say that the Lord Jeffs haven’t faced a team quite like Oneonta this year. While the NESCAC is one of the most competitive leagues in Division III, the majority of teams play a bruising, direct approach that relies more on physicality than possession and pace, so the Lord Jeffs will have to be able to defend against a new type of opponent. Amherst is no-doubt battle-tested, but the Red Dragons pose a unique challenge with their attacking potency. Striker Jake Sutherland poses a threat, but he’s not alone—his attacking compatriots are equally adept at assisting and scoring.

It would be one thing if Oneonta was a team that simply relied on its goals to bail its defense out, but that’s simply not the case. Goalkeeper Vincent Pellegrino has a GAA of 0.41, having been beaten just nine times in 23 matches. Furthermore, Oneonta’s style of pressing makes it difficult for teams to penetrate its midfield effectively, and often results in them losing the ball in transition. However, should the opposition get to the last line of defense, Pellegrino, he’s often able to keep the danger from becoming a goal. Amherst may well have the advantage in terms of height, but Oneonta will not be bullied by the Lord Jeffs’ physical approach. The Red Dragons possess a rare combination of attacking prowess and the capability to body up when they need to: no matter the opponent, they’ll be ready.

Given the contrast in styles between the teams, the key to this semifinal is this: which team can impose its style on the other? Amherst has historically been successful at imposing its physical game on its opponents, and often does enough to throw even the most talented attacking teams out of their rhythms. However, Oneonta also has a history of putting other teams on their heels, forcing their opponents to defend for 90 minutes to have any chance at victory.

In addition to the question of style, there are a number of other considerations that will come into play. In terms of dictating play, Amherst will be eager to prevent Oneonta from building up a head of steam, looking to rattle the Red Dragons and keep them out of their rhythm in the midfield. Oneonta, however, will look to keep the ball and press Amherst high, forcing the Lord Jeffs to retreat into their own defensive half. Regarding key tactics, Amherst is always a threat on corner kicks, free kicks, and crosses, so Oneonta will need to minimize the number of opportunities that they give the Lord Jeffs to send dead balls in. The Red Dragons attackers, meanwhile, will look to work interchangeably across the front line to drag the Amherst defenders out of position in order to land the killer blow.

There are a bunch of unknowns going into this semi-final, but one thing is for certain: the winning team will be one step closer to its first NCAA title.

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