No. 19 Men’s Soccer Hosts CCRI For Region XXI Championship

BROCKTON, Mass. ---- The 19th-ranked Massasoit men's soccer team will compete in its 10th consecutive Region XXI Championship when it hosts the Community College of Rhode Island on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Warrior Field.

The winner of Saturday's match, will host the two-day Northeast District Championship, on Nov. 8-9.

Each team is riding winning streaks heading into the regional finals. Massasoit has won nine straight, while the Knights strung together three consecutive wins to close out the regular season.

#19 Massasoit
Overall Record: 13-4-0
Region XXI Record: 8-1-0

CCRI
Overall Record: 5-7-1
Region XXI Record: 4-3-1

Match Information
Date: Saturday, Nov. 1
Time: 1 PM
Location: Brockton, Mass. (Warrior Field)

Season Series: Massasoit leads 2-0

Game 1: Massasoit 2, CCRI 0 (Sept. 10)
Fabio Cula netted a pair of early second half goals within a 10-minute span to give the Warriors the 2-0 win. Stephan Teixeira recorded the assist on both of Cula's goals.

Game 2: Massasoit 3, CCRI 0 (Oct. 8)
After a scoreless first half, Joel Lobo intercepted a pass from CCRI's defensive back line for the first goal of the contest just 30 seconds into the second half. Later Pepe Vieira and Manny Fortes added goals in the 3-0 victory.

FIRST HALF GOOSE EGGS: In both meeting this season, neither squad has been able to score in the first half. However, Massasoit would score within the first eight minutes after intermission in each matchup.

OUT KICKING THE KNIGHTS: Overall, Massasoit attempted 54 total shots in the two previous meetings, compared to just six by CCRI. In the first meeting in Brockton, the Warriors took 30 more shots (31 to 1) than the Knights.

SIZZLING STREAK: Massasoit will enter Saturday on a nine-match win streak. The last loss for the Warriors came on Sept. 24 in a 3-1 defeat to Bunker Hill. During that span, Massasoit has outscored its opponents 38 to nine and boasts a perfect 8-0 mark in October.

LOBO LIGHTS IT UP: Joel Lobo has been a man on a mission over the nine-match win streak for the Warriors. The sophomore has totaled 17 goals over the winning streak and scored at least once in all nine victories. For the season, Lobo has scored 22 times, ranking tied for sixth amongst NJCAA Division I men's soccer players.

WARRIORS ENTER RANKINGS: Massasoit appeared in both men's soccer polls announced this week, ranking No. 19 in the NJCAA poll and No. 15 in the NSCAA poll.

BEEN HERE BEFORE: Massasoit will appear in its 10th consecutive Region XXI Championship and has won eight over that stretch. Since 1974, the Warriors have appeared in the regional finals 31 times, claiming 22 championships.