NEW LONDON, Conn. -- The Connecticut College men's soccer team heads to the second weekend of the tournament to take on No. 5 Montclair State at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday in Fredericksburg, Va.
Conn (12-1-6 overall) advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in program history, following back-to-back wins that required extra soccer last weekend. In the first round matchup against Denison, the teams were tied 1-1 heading to overtime. In the first overtime period, Elliot Spatz (Bellevue, Wash.) was awarded a penalty kick, and converted to put the Camels up 2-1. In the second overtime, Matt Scoffone (Thornton, Pa.) had a penalty initially stopped, but followed up the rebound to give Conn the 3-1 victory.
In the second round against No. 8 Franklin and Marshall, once again the game was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, as Jake Creus (Madrid, Spain) tallied the lone Camels goal in regulation. Neither team was able to find the back of the net in extra time, as the game headed to penalty kicks. Both teams were perfect through the first six rounds, before Peter Silvester (Smiths Parish, Bermuda) came up with a save, setting the stage for Creus, who found the back of the net, sending Conn through.
Creus, Scoffone, and Spatz have paced the Camels this season. Creus leads the way with 19 points on eight goals and three assists, Scoffone has recorded 17 points on eight goals and one assist, while Spatz has added 13 points on five goals and three assists. As a team, Conn has scored 43 goals (2.26 per game) while conceding just 16 (0.84 per game). Silvester has started every game in goal, compiling a 12-1-6 record, with a .754 save percentage, a 0.84 goals against average, and eight clean sheets.
Montclair State (19-2-1 overall), the winners of the New Jersey Athletic Conference, enters the weekend, having won seven straight games, and looking to get back to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2019. The Red Hawks opened up their NCAA Tournament campaign with a 2-0 victory over Elmira College, before needing overtime against RV Christopher Newport in the second round. The teams headed to extra time tied at one, before two goals from Amer Lukovic lifted Montclair to the 3-1 win.
Lukovic leads not only Montclair in scoring, but also the nation, having tallied 73 points on 33 goals and seven assists, while five other players have collected double-digit points. On the year, the Red Hawks have scored 66 goals (3.00 per game) while conceding just 15 (0.68 per game). Shane Keenan has started the majority of games in goal for Montclair, recording a 17-2-0 record, with a .790 save percentage, a 0.71 goals against average, and nine clean sheets.
The site's other Sweet Sixteen matchup features No. 2 Mary Washington (18-1-2 overall) against No. 18 Washington College (Md.) (12-2-6 overall) at 11:30 a.m. The winners from each Sweet Sixteen contest will meet on Sunday, November 19 at 1:00 p.m.
