BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn men's soccer team will host two big Northeast Conference matches on LIU Field this weekend, welcoming Saint Francis U. and Robert Morris to the Birdcage. The Blackbirds (3-6-2, 2-0 NEC) will take on the Red Flash Friday, October 20 at 6:30 p.m., and face off with the Colonials Sunday, October 22 at 1 p.m.
ALUMNI GAME & SENIOR DAY
LIU will welcome former players and friends to LIU for a celebrate Sunday. The annual alumni game will take place on LIU Field beginning at 10:30 a.m. The Blackbirds will also honor the four members of the family playing their final season with LIU: Naeem Charles, Brian Paredes, Michael Ramsey and Erik Wahlin will be honored prior to Sunday's game.
FOLLOW LIVE
Follow both games live on NEC Front Row, and with live stats available on LIUAthletics.com.
SCOUTING THE RED FLASH
Perennial NEC powerhouse Saint Francis U. has struggled early in the 2017 conference season. The Red Flash come to LIU Field with an 8-6 overall record, 1-2 in NEC action.
SFU has advanced to the championship game each of the last two seasons; in 2015, they fell to LIU, and last year, they dropped a 1-0 decision to SFBK. Saint Francis defeated the Blackbirds twice last season, including a 1-0 victory in the NEC Semifinals, and lead the all-time series 18-12-2.
The Red Flash is coming off of their first NEC win of the year, a big double overtime victory over Bryant, 1-0. They've fallen to FDU in double OT (2-1), and lost to CCSU 5-3 to open the year. SFU had some big non-conference wins early on, beating then-No. 20 Old Dominion 5-3 in early September.
Junior forward Mario Mastrangelo is SFU's main source of offence. He has scored 11 goals in 14 games, ranking him seventh in scoring in NCAA Division I. Senior midfielder Traye Kiernan, a second-team All-NEC honoree last year, is next in points, with five goals and five assists. Redshirt senior Marcus Rojas has started all 14 games in goal, and has a 1.43 goals against average, along with four shutouts.
SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
RMU will take on St. Francis Brooklyn Friday night before coming to LIU Field Sunday. Prior to today's matchup, the Colonials are 2-8-2 overall, and 1-1-1 in the NEC. They beat CCSU, 1-0 in the conference opener, tied Bryant 1-1 in double OT, and last weekend fell to FDU at home, 1-0.
Senior midfielder Bayley Winkel is the team's leading scorer, with eight goals and one assist, while senior midfielder Keane McIvor has a team-high eight assists.
Senior Winter Fondi is the team's lone goalkeeper so far this year, tallying a .742 save percentage with one shutout, and a 1.67 goals against average.
UP NEXT
The Blackbirds will hit the road to take on one of the top teams in the region, facing off against Fairleigh Dickinson in New Jersey, Sunday October 29 at 4:30 p.m.