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BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn men's soccer team begins its defense of the 2015 Northeast Conference Championship title this Friday, November 11, when the No. 3 seeded Blackbirds take on No. 2 seed Saint Francis University in the first round of the 2016 NEC Tournament. The two teams will face off at top-seeded St. Francis Brooklyn's home field, just a mile from LIU's campus at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
TICKETS
Fan tickets will be available the day of the event at the host site. Ticket prices are $8 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and children between the ages of 11-18. Children under the age of 11 and NEC students with an institutional I.D. will be admitted free.
ABOUT THE BLACKBIRDS
LIU enters the weekend with a 10-5-2 overall record, and 4-2-1 in Northeast Conference play. Last weekend, the Blackbirds fell to league-leader St. Francis Brooklyn last Sunday afternoon at Brooklyn Bridge Park. The Terriers topped the Blackbirds, 1-0, to clinch the regular season Northeast Conference title, going 6-0-1 in NEC action.
LIU finished the regular season as one of the best offensive teams in NCAA Division I men's soccer. The Blackbirds currently rank third in the nation in points per game, scoring offense and total points, and are fourth in the nation in total goals. LIU is also fifth in the nation in assists per game, and sixth overall in total assists. The Blackbirds are also the top team in the league in shots, points, goals, goals per game, assists and assists per game.
LIU is strong offensively as a team, thanks to a quartet of players who have made a major difference. Sophomore Rasmus Hansen, sophomore Simen Hestnes, junior Naeem Charles and junior Romario Guscott take up four of the top five spots in the NEC in both points and points per game. Hansen, Charles, Hestnes and Guscott also rank first, second, fourth and sixth in goals and goals per game. Hestnes and Hansen are 1-2 in assists, while freshman Giuseppe Barone ranks third in the confernece in assists, Charles is tied for fourth, and Guscott is tied for eighth.
SCOUTING THE RED FLASH
In a rematch of the 2015 NEC Championship game, LIU will take on Saint Francis this weekend. Saint Francis comes into the semi-final on a five-match unbeaten streak that started with a 3-0 shutout of the Blackbirds on October 16th. This is the fifth season in a row the Flash have made the tournament, and their ninth appearance overall.
Saint Francis brings a balanced attack with them into the match, sporting 11 different goal scorers on the season. They lead the league in shots and are second in goals, assists and points. Defensively, they tied for the league lead in shutouts and are second in goals allowed and goals against average. Jack Webber leads the offense with five goals and 11 points on the season. Marcus Rojas has played every minute in goal this season and holds a 0.75 goals against average.
ALL-TIME AT NEC TOURNAMENT
The Blackbirds have qualified for the NEC title 12 times since the program joined the league in 1988 and has won the title five times. The Blackbirds won the 2015 NEC Championship title, LIU's first title in 11 years. LIU beat St. Francis Brooklyn in a penalty shootout to win the game and advance to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to last season, and an appearance in 2014, the Blackbirds last made the tournament in 2004, where they defeated top-seed Fairleigh Dickinson, 1-0, to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
UP NEXT
The winner of Friday's match will take on the winner of top-seeded St. Francis Brooklyn and No.4 seed Sacred Heart, Sunday at 1 p.m.