This week in Suffolk University sports: men’s soccer secures high playoff spot, women’s soccer falters in pivotal road match and volleyball splits two match week.
Men’s soccer speeds to high playoff seed
Taking on new Conference of New England rival Johnson & Wales University Oct. 22, some late heroics by Francisco Valck lifted men’s soccer into the win column against the Wildcats, the first time Suffolk had beaten them since September 2014.
Mohamed Mehaya scored less than 10 minutes into the game with assists from Valck and Diego Pierantozzi to make it 1-0 Rams before Johnson & Wales answered just 22 seconds later to tie it at one. In the 85th minute, Valck took a pass from Javen Ironside and beat Wildcats goalkeeper Alexander Nardolillo to put the Rams ahead for good.
In the Rams’ final road game of the regular season Oct. 25 against Western New England University, it was another big goal by Valck that gave Suffolk a crucial point in a 1-1 draw with the Golden Bears.
Shay O’Neill scored in the first half for the Golden Bears to give them a 1-0 lead at halftime. It remained that way until Valck scored his sixth goal of the season in the 77th minute of play to tie the game. Nathan Harlow made five saves in goal in what ended up being his first tie of the season.
Facing Nichols College in the final game of the regular season, the Rams took care of business against the Bison with a 2-0 shutout win.
Both Suffolk goals came in the second half, as Ford Lee scored in the 57th minute and Christian Gardner added an insurance goal in the 86th minute. Harlow was in goal once again for the Rams and didn’t face a single shot on goal from the Bison.
The win puts Suffolk in the No. 2 seed in the CNE playoffs, allowing them to skip the first round. The Rams now have a week to prepare for their opponent in the second round of the playoffs, which will be either Johnson & Wales or Endicott College, who play each other in the first round.
Women’s soccer loses crucial conference match
Women’s soccer traveled to WNE for their final road match of the regular season, losing a pivotal CNE match 3-2 to the Golden Bears.
Suffolk was in a 2-0 hole at halftime as Julia Dufresne and Ava dos Santos scored 2:28 apart in the first half. Daniela Petronio scored in the 52nd minute to get Suffolk on the board, but Liza Pinette answered five minutes later to make it 3-1 WNE. Lily Goldmann scored just 12 seconds after that, but the Rams couldn’t score again.
The loss dropped the Rams out of a playoff spot in the CNE, as they sit just behind the Golden Bears for the sixth and final spot in the postseason. With WNE losing to Johnson & Wales Oct. 28, the Rams need a win over Nichols Oct. 29 to secure their spot in the CNE playoffs as the No. 6 seed. Any other result and the Rams are out of the playoffs.
Volleyball splits two match week
Volleyball picked up an important CNE win over Curry College Oct. 22, sweeping the Colonels 3-0 to improve to 4-3 in CNE play. Set wins came by scores of 25-10, 25-12 and 25-19.
The 32-dig effort for Suffolk was paced by Grace Cervenka with seven. Sami Shore racked up eight kills to surpass 500 for her career, also tying her for the team lead on the day with Cervenka.
Suffolk lost an equally important conference match Oct. 25 against Endicott College, with the Rams winding up on the wrong side of a 3-0 decision this time. The attack had trouble getting going all day as Endicott won by set scores of 25-13, 25-17 and 25-15. Two games remain in the regular season as the Rams are on the outside looking in at a berth in the CNE postseason as of Oct. 28.
