BACK-TO-BACK: Men’s Soccer Nips Rivier, 3-2, to Claim Second-Straight GNAC Championship

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — The top-seeded University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team defeated second-seeded Rivier University, 3-2, in a thrilling Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship game in front of a packed crowd Saturday afternoon at the USJ Soccer Field in West Hartford, Conn.

Junior midfielder Nate Gabriel (Naugatuck, Conn.) scored the deciding goal in the 89th minute, lifting the Blue Jays to back-to-back GNAC Championships. It marked the third GNAC title in program history and the 15th overall conference championship in USJ athletics history.

With the victory, the Blue Jays improved to 13-4-2 overall on the season and earned the league's automatic qualifier into the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship. Rivier concludes its historic season at 9-5-7 overall after making its first GNAC Championship appearance since 1997.

USJ sophomore midfielder Landon Coelho (Naugatuck, Conn.), Gabriel, sophomore midfielder Nico Hamzavi (West Hartford, Conn.), and senior defender Nicholas Simpson (Mansfield, Conn.) were named to the GNAC All-Tournament Team, while sophomore midfielder Mario Milardo (Middletown, Conn.) was selected as the GNAC Tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP).

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Rivier struck first just a minute and a half into the match, taking advantage of a slip by USJ sophomore goalkeeper Will Slayton (Manchester, Conn.) as David Pereira tapped the ball into an open net.

• USJ responded by taking control of the midfield and leveled the game at the 15:27 mark when a Hamzavi corner was flicked on by junior defender Trevor Sousa (Southington, Conn.) and deflected off sophomore midfielder Elis Sulollari (Cheshire, Conn.) into the goal, tying the score at 1-1.

• The Blue Jays wasted little time grabbing the lead. In the 23rd minute, senior defender Eduardo Chavez-Baez (Norwalk, Conn.) linked up with Coelho, who threaded a perfect pass to Milardo inside the box. Milardo rifled a shot into the back of the net to give USJ a 2-1 advantage.

• The Raiders equalized late in the half when Vincent Arsenov found the bottom right corner in the 38th minute, sending the championship match into halftime knotted at 2-2.

• Neither side could find the breakthrough early in the second half as play turned into a midfield battle.

• In the closing moments, senior midfielder Jason Moleiro (Rocky Hill, Conn.) sprinted down the right wing before playing a pass into Gabriel, who slipped it around the Rivier goalkeeper and buried the game-winner with 1:33 remaining.

• The USJ defense stood tall in the final seconds, denying Rivier any chance at an equalizer as the Blue Jays clinched the 3-2 victory and their second-straight GNAC crown.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Milardo netted his team-leading 11th goal of the season, while Sulollari and Gabriel each scored their fifth.

• Gabriel's goal marked his fourth game-winner of the year.

• Slayton made one save to earn the win (12-2-2).

• The victory extended USJ's home unbeaten streak to 20 matches.

• The Blue Jays remain undefeated all-time in GNAC Championship games (3-0).

UP NEXT

USJ earns the GNAC's automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship. The Blue Jays will learn their destination during the NCAA Selection Show on Monday, November 10, at 11:30 a.m. on www.NCAA.com.

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