Albertus Magnus College
Men's Soccer GNAC Preview 

Albertus Magnus (10-4-1)
vs.
University of Saint Joseph (CT) (11-4-1)
Saturday, Oct. 30 • 1:00 pm • New Haven, Conn.

Postseason Begins

The Albertus Magnus College men's soccer team earned the fourth seed in the upcoming 2021 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Soccer Tournament that is slated to begin on Saturday, Oct. 30th. The Falcons will face the fifth-seeded Blue Jays of the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) in a first-round rematch of the 2019 GNAC Tournament. Kick-off is slated for 1:00 PM at Celentano Field in New Haven, Conn. 

Postseason Notes

• This is the Falcons' 24th GNAC postseason appearance.
• Albertus has an all-time postseason record of 16-21-4.
• This is the second time Albertus Magnus and USJ have faced off in the postseason, with the Blue Jays winning the first match-up by a score of 1-0 in 2019.

2021 Recap

• Albertus was picked to finish fifth in the GNAC preseason coaches poll.
• In his first-ever game as head coach, Pete Hamasian guided his team to a 1-0 victory over Mitchell College on Sept. 4th.
• The Falcons rolled through the first month of the season with an overall record of 7-1, which featured a six-game winning streak and four shutout victories, with three of those shutouts coming against conference opponents Dean College (Sept. 11), Rivier University (Sept. 25), and Elms College (Sept. 15).
• During that 7-1 stretch, the Falcons out-scored opponents by a 13-4 margin.
• Albertus played well during the second half against a tough slate of opponents, going 3-3-1, with shutout wins over Lasell University (Oct. 26) and Regis (Mass.) College (Oct. 20), with the latter being a 6-0 blow-out that marked the team's highest offensive out-put since its 8-0 win over Anna Maria College back in 2019.
• The six-goal outburst against Regis (Mass.) was also the soccer team's highest of the season.
• Junior Garfield Robinson (West Haven, Conn.) picked up his 10th career victory in net this season, guiding Albertus to a 3-1 victory over Colby-Sawyer College on Sept. 18th.
• Albertus had three different players record 10+ points on the season in junior midfielder Kelvin Cortez (Meriden, Conn.) (19), freshman midfielder Arian Bobi (Amity, Conn.) (12), and senior forward Abdoul Aremu (West Haven, Conn.) (10).
• In goal, Robinson and Jared Brennan (North Haven, Conn.) combined for six shutouts, with 48 saves between them.  

GNAC Tournament Schedule

Quarterfinals - Saturday, Oct. 30
#8 Colby-Sawyer at #1 Saint Joseph's Maine - 5PM
#5 USJ at #4 Albertus - 1PM
#6 Regis at #3 JWU - 5PM
#7 Emmanuel at #2 Norwich - 4PM

Semifinals - Tuesday, Nov. 2
1/8 winner vs 4/5 winner
3/6 winner vs 2/7 winner 

Championship - Saturday, Nov. 6
at highest remaining seed

This Year vs. Saint Joseph's (Conn.)  

• This year, the Falcons are 1-0 against the Blue Jays, winning the home game by a final score of 2-1.
• Cortez scored both goals for the Falcons in the contest, while Denis Blandon (Meriden, Conn.) and Bobi picked up an assist each.
• Robinson held the visitors to a single goal over the 90-minute match, recording five saves on six attempts.
• Saint Joseph's (Conn.) held the edge in both shots (18-7) and corner kicks (14-4). 

Scouting Saint Joseph's (Conn.) 

• Goals Per Game: 2.94  
• Shots Per Game: 19.3  
• Goals-Against Average: 1.06
• Save Percentage: 77.9%

Saint Joseph's (Conn.) Player Highlight

• DeAnte Anderson leads the Blue Jays and is currently tied for the conference lead with 20 goals scored.
• Dane Stephens tops the Blue Jays with 10 assists, a total that slots him in firm control of second place in the GNAC.   
• Jose Miguel Garcia Martin leads the Blue Jays in net, recording 44 saves and three shutouts for the season, and taking third place in the conference with a solid .815 save percentage.
• Charles Mputu and Michael Torres each recorded 10 points for the Blue Jays, with Mputu netting four goals and two assists, and Torres tallying two goals and six assists.  
• Stephens has six multi-point games this season as a first-year player.   

Scouting Albertus Magnus

• Goals Per Game: 1.73
• Shots Per Game: 11.5 
• Goals-Against Average: 0.75
• Save Percentage: 81.4%

Albertus Magnus Player Highlights

• Cortez is currently tied for ninth in the conference with 10 goals and tied for 11th with 19 points.
• Robinson's five shutouts this season are tied for second in the conference and are only one back of Norwich's Robert Wagenseller's conference-leading six shutouts.
• Robinson is fifth in the conference with a .800 save percentage and tied for ninth with 44 saves.
• Bobi's four goals and four assists on the season have provided the Falcons with a well-balanced attack from their midfield position and his three game-winners have been invaluable for Albertus.
• Aremu has recorded his third season with 10+ points, racking up three goals and four assists for 10 points.
• Two of Areumu's goals have also gone for game-winners this season.
• Cortez's eight goals and three assists on the season is a new career-high.
• Cortez has also tallied three game-winners on the season, helping the Falcons to crucial victories over Saint Joseph's (2-1), Rivier (1-0), and Mitchell (1-0).