JWU to Host Norwich in GNAC Men’s Soccer Championship

GNAC MEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

WINTHROP, Mass. – No. 2 seed Johnson & Wales will host No. 5 seed Norwich in the 2023 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer Championship on Saturday, Nov. 4 after both teams picked up victories in the GNAC Semifinals on Tuesday (Oct. 31) evening. Kickoff is to be announced.

Both squads came away with 1-0 win in their semifinal matchups with the Wildcats holding off No. 3 seed University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), while the Cadets stole the road win against top-seeded Saint Joseph's (Maine).

Saturday will mark the second year in a row that JWU is hosting the GNAC final with the hosts hoping for a better result. The Wildcats have played for the conference title in four of the last five season, last capturing the crown in 2019.

Meanwhile, Norwich returns to the conference championship match after missing out last season. The Cadets have been regular contenders for the league title, but last claimed the conference crown in 2008. Since then, they have finished as the GNAC Tournament runner-up six times, including their most recent appearance in 2021.

The match is expected to be tightly contested as the two teams played to a 1-1 draw in their regular-season meeting.

The winner of Saturday's GNAC Championship match will be named the 2023 GNAC Men's Soccer Champion and earn the conference's automatic qualifier into the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship.

#2 Johnson & Wales 1, #3 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) 0

Recap courtesy of the Johnson & Wales Athletic Communications Department.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Sophomore Carlos Andrade scored the only goal of the match midway through the second half to send the No. 2 seed JWU-Providence men’s soccer team to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship match with a 1-0 win over No. 3 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) Tuesday afternoon at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex.

The win sets up a meeting with No. 5 seed Norwich on Saturday, Nov. 4 at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex with the winner receiving the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. 

For JWU head coach David Kulik – who is 3-2 all-time against Norwich in the GNAC playoffs – this marks his seventh trip to the conference championship match, where he owns a 4-2 record. Two of those four wins came against the Cadets in the finals in 2015 (3-0) and 2016 (4-0). JWU secured its most recent GNAC Championship in 2019 with a 1-0 double OT win over St. Joseph’s (Maine). 

The Wildcats closed the first half against USJ with a slim 5-4 advantage in shots. The Blue Jays had the best scoring chance for either side at 35:40 as Emmanuel Ofori struck the left post on a free kick.

In the second half, Andrade broke the scoreless tie at 65:30 when his header off a feed from graduate student Mikael Wallace-Boahin found the back of the net. The Blue Jays nearly tied the match at one late in the half but saw Matthew Dima’s free kick strike the left post.

JWU closed the match with a 15-9 edge in shots, and the two schools combined for 23 fouls (23 for JWU, 18 for USJ). Graduate student Jacob Friedman made three saves to improve to 13-2-4 on the season.

#5 Norwich 1, #1 Saint Joseph’s (Maine) 0

Recap courtesy of the Norwich Athletic Communications Department.

STANDISH, Maine- For the second time in the last three seasons, the Norwich Men’s Soccer team punched their ticket to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) championship game, after taking down top seeded Saint Joseph’s College of Maine 1-0 Tuesday evening, remaining the only road team to win a game in the GNAC Men’s Soccer Tournament.

After two early corners by the Monks, the Cadets responded by generating opportunities on their own as Hunter Lortie took a shot that narrowly went wide of the left post. Even though the Monks held a 7-5 shot advantage at the half, the Cadets had better quality chances despite the one shot on target. While on the other side of the field, Nicolas Lanza held the fort with three saves. 

Early in the second half, the Cadets broke through. With the ball in the attacking midfield, Oleksandr Kharchuk passed the ball to Kyle Dunn down the right side, who sent a cross to an awaiting Aidan Dwyer in the middle of the box for a header to the bottom right corner in the 60th minute. Afterwards, the Monks began pressing for the tie, mustering nine shot attempts and generating six corners, but the Cadet defense was stout only allowing one shot on target. 

“It was a difficult game at a place we’ve struggled with over the years,” said head coach Staige Davis. “We scored a great goal and had to withstand a lot of pressure in the second half. The toughness of this group continues to amaze me.” 

With the win, the Cadets become the first team in recent memory to defeat the Monks twice in the same season during their reign atop the GNAC. Norwich will now turn their attention to the GNAC Championship where they will take on Johnson & Wales on Nov. 4, time to be announced.

2023 GNAC Men's Soccer Tournament Schedule

Play-In – Thursday, Oct. 26
(Hosted by higher seeds)

#7 New England College def. #10 Lasell, 3-0 | BOX
#8 Regis def. #9 Emmanuel, 2-1 | BOX

Quarterfinals – Saturday, Oct. 28
(Hosted by higher seeds)

#1 Saint Joseph's (Maine) def. #8 Regis, 3-0 | BOX
#2 Johnson & Wales def. #7 New England College, 2-0 | BOX
#3 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) def. #6 Dean, 3-1 | BOX
#5 Norwich def. #4 Albertus Magnus, 3-2 | BOX

Semifinals – Tuesday, Oct. 31
(Hosted by higher seeds)

#5 Norwich def. #1 Saint Joseph's (Maine), 1-0 | BOX
#2 Johnson & Wales def. #3 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 1-0 | BOX

Championship – Saturday, Nov. 4

#5 Norwich at #2 Johnson & Wales, TBD

ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.

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