WATERVILLE, ME - #4 Thomas College (10-7-1, 6-3 NAC) will travel to #1 Castleton (13-3-2, 7-1-1 NAC) in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Semifinals on Wednesday, November 6 at 4:30pm.
How they got here:
On the season, per game, the Terriers had 17.4 shots on goal and a shot percentage of .146. In total, Thomas scored 43 goals in the regular season. Thomas goalkeepers have recorded a save percentage of .818 this season. They have allowed 18 goals against opponents on the season, averaging 1.03 per game.
The Terriers defeated #5 Husson on Sunday afternoon 3-1 to advance to the next round of the tournament. In the rematch of the 2012 championship game Thomas' Michael Hand, Tre Ming, and Paul Rechichi were able to find the back of the net in the victory.
Castleton earned the number one seed in the NAC Tournament as they suffered just one loss in conference play. The Spartans were defeated by New England College earlier in the year, 2-0 in their only setback. The squads only other non-win in NAC play came in a 1-1 tie against Husson.
The top seeded Spartans defeated #8 Lyndon State last Sunday by a score of 5-0 to advance to the semifinals. Spencer Dandurand had a goal and an assist in the victory.
The last time they met:
Just two weeks ago the two teams met at Thomas as they battled to a scoreless 90 minutes. Castleton would eventually crack the draw with an overtime game-winner by Bryce Kaler to seal a road upset.
What have they done lately?
The Terriers are coming into the weekend winning five of their last six games against conference opponents, including a victory against Husson in the quarterfinals. Their lone conference loss came against Castleton.
Castleton ended the season winning eight of their last nine games, with their lone loss coming to NESCAC foe Middlebury. Throughout the eight wins, the Spartans have let in just three goals combined.
Historically speaking:
Castleton holds a 10-2 advantage in the history between these two schools since they started playing each other in NAC play dating back to 2003. The Spartans had previously won all nine meetings until Thomas took two consecutive games in 2011 and 2012. The only time these two have met in the playoffs was in the quarterfinals in 2004 when Castleton defeated the Terriers, 3-0.
Coaches Corner:
Head Coach Christopher Parsons, now in his third season at Thomas, has guided the Terriers to the postseason every year since being at the helm. Parsons led the squad to their second NAC Championship last season and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
John O'Conner, in his first season at the helm for Castleton had led the squad to a regular season crown in the NAC, earning the #1 seed. O'Connor most recently served as the head coach for the University of Rhode Island from 2006-2012. During his tenure with the Rams he won an Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship and reached the tournament semifinals on two other occasions.
