Suffolk University men’s soccer hosted the Western New England University Golden Bears in the Conference of New England semifinals, with the Rams prevailing 1-0 to punch their ticket to the CNE championship game.
The Rams beat the Golden Bears at home Oct. 16 by an identical score, the first time they had beaten WNE in over 20 years. It was an especially sweet win for the Rams after the Golden Bears ended their season in the semifinals last season.
Head coach Bill Maddock recognized how the matchup was going to be challenging for the Rams and was pleased with how they responded to the challenge.
“We knew the game was going to be a lot of transitions, the ball was going to be in the air,” said Maddock. “We changed up a few things tactically. I think our guys managed to challenge really well. I think something that we’ve done really well the last couple years is making sure that you have a good blend of players where we can’t get bullied physically, and then we have enough technical quality to break them down. Our guys did a great job.”
The game was scoreless entering halftime, with the Golden Bears holding a slight 11-10 lead in shots. They came out strong in the second half and were peppering Suffolk goalkeeper Nathan Harlow with shots. With 28 minutes remaining in regulation, Harlow made a few spectacular saves to keep the Golden Bears off the scoreboard.
In the 67th minute, the Rams broke the stalemate. Edward Abouzeid hammered a shot past WNE goalkeeper Roger Leland to put Suffolk ahead 1-0. It was the senior midfielder’s third goal of the season, with Luke Blawn and Dominic Rinaldi picking up assists.
“I received the ball on my left foot, saw some guys running and said ‘I’m just gonna hit it,’” said Abouzeid. “I trusted myself, and it went in.”
Maddock was particularly happy for Abouzeid, who returned to the field this season following two years out of action after having multiple surgeries.
“He played a lot as a freshman and then basically didn’t play at all his sophomore and junior year,” said Maddock. “I’m just really happy for him. He’s done an amazing job getting himself back on the field. He deserves every moment.”
From there, Harlow withstood a flurry of scoring chances from the Golden Bears to keep the Rams ahead. He finished the game with a 10 save shutout after recently being named the CNE defensive player of the week following a shutout win against the Wentworth Institute of Technology.
“My saves are part of the job,” said Harlow. “Everyone else did their own job, it’s just something I have to do to help get the win.”
In the other CNE semifinal match, Roger Williams University upset top seeded Endicott College with a 3-2 overtime victory. That sets the stage for the second seeded Rams to host the championship game Nov. 9. The Hawks are the one team Suffolk has not been able to beat, as the Rams are 0-4-2 against them all time.
“They’re a very good team, they’ve been to three straight finals,” said Maddock. “They’ve got that championship pedigree that we’re trying to learn how to do, so I’m excited for the matchup.”
Kickoff against the Hawks in the CNE championship game is set for 12 p.m. at East Boston Memorial Park Nov. 9.
