Marywood University Pacers

Men's Soccer 10/30/2023 5:27:00 PM

AEC PREVIEW | Men's Soccer Looks To Carry Momentum in Semis

Pacers coming off first AEC Playoff victory

Scranton, Pa. — Third-seeded Marywood University will travel to Radnor, Pa. to take on Cabrini University in the Atlantic East Conference Men's Soccer Semifinals. The Pacers will take on No. 2 Cabrini at 7 p.m. at Edith Robb Dixon Field, and it will be aired on the Atlantic East Network.

The Pacers were riding a four-game undefeated streak into the playoffs. Marywood (7-8-2) won out in a three-way tiebreaker thanks to a late Jack Forbes goal in the 82nd minute of a 1-0 decision against Immaculata University. Forbes' goal put the Pacers even with both Marymount University and the Mighty Macs with a 2-2-2 conference record. Marywood had the edge thanks to four combined points against the Saints and Macs.
It marks the third consecutive postseason appearance for the Pacers. Marywood won its first Atlantic East Conference playoff game since joining in 2018. The Pacers faced No. 6 Gwynedd Mercy and blanked the Griffins, 3-0. Hayden Slater and Alex Visha scored their first collegiate goals in the match-up. Danny Gomez had his sixth goal of the season. Alex Russo had his conference leading fifth shutout recording a save.

Tuesday's game against Cabrini will be the second time the two foes match-up in Atlantic East Conference playoffs.

Cabrini (6-8-3, 3-2-1) makes its fifth AEC postseason appearance.

SERIES HISTORY: Dating back to the 2007 season, Marywood holds a 5-12-2 record over the Cavs. The Pacers are 2-8 in the last 10 matchups, winning their last game 3-1, the largest margin of victory against the Cavs. This is just the third postseason matchup between the two teams. The Pacers are 1-2 overall in postseason games, the last being the 2022 opening round of the AEC Playoffs when Marywood fell 2-4.

LAST MEETING: Marywood and Cabrini squared away in a rainy conference match-up. The Pacers used the art of the free kick to win 3-1. Fifty-five seconds into regulation, Eli Benitez drilled a shot from 22 yards out that went into the right side of the net. In the 68th minute, Matt Laudenslager fired a shot from 30 yards out from the left perimeter. Laudenslager's game-winning goal found the upper-left corner of the goal to take a 2-1 lead. Marywood added to its goal total in the 75th minute. On another free kick, Rodolfo Vargas slid a ball to Seth Blakiewicz, executing a 25-yard shot into the left side of the frame. Alex Russo had three saves in the victory.

SCOUTING THE CAVS: As the team's playmaker, John Ameyaw currently has a team-high 13 points with six goals. Matt Duddy follows Ameyaw as he has a total 12 points with four goals and a team-high four assists.

Cabrini started off the season with a pair of non-conference victories blanking York (PA) in a 1-0 win and 2-1 over Delaware Valley. The Cavs opened conference play with wins against Gwynedd Mercy 2-1, and Marymount 2-0. They closed out conference play with a 1-1 draw against Immaculata.

SCOUTING THE PACERS: Danny Gomez is having a breakout year with a team-high six goals and three assists for 15 points. Gomez ranks fifth and sixth in goals and points, respectively, in the Atlantic East. Nolan Kozera had three goals and three assists for nine points. Also, Kyle Falcon has nine points on the season. Alex Russo has made 48 saves with a .676 save percentage and a 1.44 goals-against average. Russo has a 7-7-2 record on the season. He ranks fourth in the Atlantic East in save percentage and GAA. Russo has a conference-best five clean sheets. Marywood's defense is led by Jayce Wilson, Alex Visha and Hayden Slater.

Marywood opened the season with back-to-back clean sheets, shutting out Hartwick and Keystone. After dropping six of seven games, the Pacers broke out of their slump with a 3-1 win over Cabrini — the Pacers first since 2017. Marywood is 3-0-1 in its past four contests.

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Players Mentioned

#6 Seth Blakiewicz: D; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#7 Kyle Falcon: F; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#10 Danny Gomez: F; 5' 10"; Junior

#0 Alex Russo: GK; 5' 10"; Senior

#3 Alex Visha: D; 5' 9"; Freshman

#5 Jayce Wilson: D; 6' 0"; Freshman

#11 Nolan Kozera: F; 5' 7"; Freshman

#14 Rodolfo Vargas: D; 5' 9"; Freshman

#17 Jack Forbes: F; 5' 7"; Freshman

#18 Matt Laudenslager: M; 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#6 Seth Blakiewicz
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: D

#7 Kyle Falcon
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: F

#10 Danny Gomez
: 5' 10"; Junior
: F

#0 Alex Russo
: 5' 10"; Senior
: GK

#3 Alex Visha
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: D

#5 Jayce Wilson
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: D

#11 Nolan Kozera
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: F

#14 Rodolfo Vargas
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: D

#17 Jack Forbes
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: F

#18 Matt Laudenslager
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: M