Boxscore

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Freshman midfielder Brandin McClay (East Taunton, Mass.) scored with just 1:22 to play to break a 1-1 tie and give the Southern Connecticut State University men's soccer team a 2-1 victory over Merrimack in the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Championship on Saturday afternoon at Jess Dow Field. Junior defender Ancil Farrier (Los Bajos, Trinidad) was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. With the win, SCSU's record improves to 14-2-4 while Merrimack falls to 13-6-3 with the loss.

The win gave the Owls their first ever conference tournament championships and their fourth NE-10 title overall. SCSU won the regular season championship in 2000, 2001 and 2004.

SCSU was the only team to find the net in the first half of the match. Senior forward Colin Jackson (Hartford, Conn.) was about 10 yards in front of the net and finished off a centering pass from sophomore midfielder Michael DiBartolomeo (Wallingford, Conn.) to give the Owls a 1-0 lead. The 32nd-minute goal was the eighth of the season for Jackson, which ties him for the team lead. SCSU would take the 1-0 lead into the halftime break and also held a 4-3 edge in shots in the opening stanza.

The opening 35 minutes of the second half went scoreless, but not without scoring opportunities. Twice in the opening half-hour of the stanza, Jackson was set up in front of the net off passes from senior forward Shane Ogilvie (Regina, Saskatchewan), but was unable to put the ball on net and the Owls continued to cling to a 1-0 lead.

Merrimack struck for the equalizer in the 82nd minute. Boris Senic hit a corner kick from the left wing and the ball bounced off several SCSU defenders in the box. Eventually, Kyle Lortie was able to strike the ball which hit off the left post and got behind SCSU senior goalkeeper Brendan Lawless (Orleans, Mass.) to tie the game 1-1. The goal was the second of the season for Lortie.

With only 82 seconds remaining in regulation, McClay would strike for the goal which would claim the title. Jackson drove through the left side of the box on an angle towards the left goal post. With only one defender to beat, Jackson faked a shot and slipped a pass to McClay, who tapped it into the empty net behind Merrimack goaltender Rob Pedra to give the Owls a 2-1 lead which they would not relinquish. SCSU held a 3-1 shots advantage in the second half and outshot Merrimack 7-4 over the full 90 minutes.

Farrier took the tournament's Most Valuable Player honors, as he contributed the lone goal on a penalty kick in the semifinal win over Massachusetts-Lowell as well as solid backline defense throughout the tournament.

Lawless did not make a save in front of the SCSU net while he earned the victory and his seventh shutout of the season. Pedra made two saves for Merrimack in defeat.

The Owls are expected to receive a berth in the NCAA Division II Championships. Selections and sites of competition will be officially announced by the NCAA via ncaasports.com on Monday, Nov. 5 at approximately 3 p.m.