HADDONFIELD, N.J. – No. 1 Neumann and No. 3 Marymount advance to the Atlantic East Championship game after semifinal victories.

No. 1 Neumann defeated No. 5 Gwynedd Mercy after scoring at the tail end of the first half, before adding on two more in the second, to take away a 3-0 win. No. 3 Marymount took a 3-1 victory over No. 2 Marywood, coming from behind after conceding the opening goal.

Neumann will host the Atlantic East Championship match which will be held at the on Saturday, November 8. The winner will earn the conference’s automatic qualifier into the 2025 NCAA DIII Men’s Soccer Championship.

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#1 Neumann 3, #5 Gwynedd Mercy 0 | BOX SCORE
Recap courtesy of Neumann Sport Information Department.

ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University Men's Soccer team defeated Gwynedd Mercy University in the semifinals of the Atlantic East Conference tournament on Tuesday night by a final score of 3-0. 
 
The Knights controlled possession for most of the match as they outshot the Griffins by a 28-6 margin. Despite that, it took until the 43^rd minute for it to yield a goal. Conor McCarthy sent a low ball into the box that rolled to Or Megnazi. He quickly touched it to Zion Atta-Krah who moved in against the goalkeeper and scored his fifth goal of the season.
 
In the 61^st minute, Luke Mejia made a move inside the box and was tripped up, drawing a penalty shot. Jordan Illian was tasked with taking it and he fired the ball into the right side of the net for his team-leading 13^th goal of the season. Just one minute later, AJ Henry made two key saves, including one on a penalty shot to maintain the two-goal lead. Illian would again cause havoc as he moved in for a shot in the 83rd minute. Although his strike was stopped, Victor John followed it up for his third of the game.
 
Illian peppered the goal with 13 shots, three on goal. McCarthy had four shots while John and Atta-Krah had three each. Henry made five saves in total to secure the win and his seventh clean sheet of the season.
 
Neumann (12-3-3) will now host the Atlantic East Conference Championship Game on Saturday when they take on Marymount University for a 1:00 PM start.

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#2 Marywood 1, #3 Marymount 3 | BOX SCORE
Recap courtesy of the Marymount Sport Information Department

SCRANTON, Pa. -- The Saints have done it! With a 3-1 victory over Marywood and a hard fought season, the Saints have advanced to the AEC Championship. 

With the ticket punched, the Saints will play in the AEC Championship this Saturday. 

 NOTABLE

• Erick Shoetter-Rojas dominated offensively with a hat trick, scoring all three goals in the second half. 
• Erick Shoetter-Rojas makes history as the first male Saint to score three goals in a post season game.
• The team leader in shots was Erick Shoetter-Rojas who fired off seven total, four of which were on target.
• Marymount dominated in the second half with 17 total shots, versus their opponents five. 
• On the attacking side, Christian Nascimento proved to be a difference maker and created an offenseive energy that Marymount needed. 
• Marymount's defense kept a tight ship and only allowed for a total of seven shots from Marywood throughout the whole game. 
• Defensively, Dylan Hirmas, Daniel Yi, Alex Rendon Benitez, and Franklin Cruz-Reyes helped secure the win for the Saints. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first half of the match did not favor the Saints, as they quickly fell behind after a Marywood goal in the 14th minute.
• The first goal was only the second shot of the game, followed by a shot that was saved by Marymount's keeper Bayron Banegas.
• Outside of the quick first goal, the first half was very stagnant with a total of three shots from Marymount and two from Marywood. 
• After a halftime speech from Coach Kalin, the Saints turned it on in half two. 
• Shots started firing off from the Saints in the 50th minute, with six shots taken by the Saints by the time it reached the 59th minute. 
• A foul drawn by Marywood's Jonathan Lowinger gave Erick Shoetter-Rojas the chance to tie the game with a penalty kick. 
• With no hesitation, Erick Shoetter-Rojas gave the Saints the equalizer. 
• With the score tied up 1-1, Marywood's Ryan Schweigart drew a red in the 61st minute which allowed the Saints to play with a man up for the rest of the second half. 
• Erick Shoetter-Rojas stole the show once again in the 77th minute and gave the Saints a 2-1 lead with a shot that was assisted by Christian Bonilla.
• A 2-1 win is good, but a 3-1 win is even better. Another goal scored by Erick Shoetter-Rojas solidified the Saints victory and their path into the AEC Championship. 

UP NEXT

• The Saints will compete in the AEC Championships this Saturday against Neumann. 

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