Wildcats earn third straight appearance in NCAA Tournament and fourth in program history.
DURHAM, N.H. - Junior Josh Bauer (Bedford, N.H.) scored the game winning goal as the No. 18 nationally ranked and No. 1 seed University of New Hampshire men's soccer team defeated No. 3 seed Hartford, 1-0, to win the program's second straight America East Tournament championship at Wildcat Stadium on Saturday evening.
With the win, the Wildcats receive an automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Tournament. This will be the Wildcats' fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, having received an automatic bid to the 2019 and 2018 championships, and at large bids to the 1994 and 2017 tournaments. The NCAA Selection Show is Monday, Nov. 18 at 1:00 p.m.
The Wildcats improve to 14-1-3 on the season, while the Hawks conclude their season 12-5-4.
Bauer was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year. Bauer is only the second player to ever win this award twice as Nick Bone from Boston University won it in 1996 and 1997. Bauer, senior Antonio Colacci (Bradenton, Fla.), junior Jonny Wolf (Hopkinton, Mass.) and redshirt freshman Rory O'Driscoll (Minneapolis, Minn.) were named to the All-Tournament Team. (Photo by Meghan Murphy)
GAME INFORMATION: America East Championship Game Score: New Hampshire 1, Hartford 0 Records: UNH (14-1-3), Hartford (12-5-4) Location: Durham, N.H. (Wildcat Stadium) Date: Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019 Time: 6:00 p.m. Attendance: 1,782
The Wildcats took an early lead in the fourth minute (3:27) of the game when graduate student Kyle Brewster (New Hampton, N.H.) sent a curling cross into the box where Bauer swiftly headed it into the top left corner of the net.
In the 26th minute, graduate student Fabian Lutz (Bad Gröenenbach, Germany) sent a pass to junior Jacob Gould (Exeter, N.H.) in the box, who just missed the net with a bicycle kick, keeping the score 1-0 UNH.
In the 39th minute, freshman Bilal Kamal (London, England) delivered a pass right to Lutz, who was ready at the top of the box to blast the ball towards net, when Hartford's Jimmy Slayton was able to make a diving save to prevent a Wildcat goal.
By the end of the first half, the Wildcats tallied four shots on goal while the Hawks had none.
In the 63rd minute, graduate student goalkeeper Alejandro Robles (Monterey, Mexico) made his first save of the night after a breakaway shot by Hartford's Nyrik Antoine.
UNH was able to keep the game at 1-0 until the last whistle, earning the team its second straight AE Championship.
Kyle Brewster (Photo by Meghan Murphy)
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
Robles made two saves to record his seventh shutout of the season, while Slayton posted six.
UNH outshot Hartford, 20-5, while the Wildcats took seven shots on goal and the Hawks tallied two.
UNH had five corner kicks, while Hartford took two.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
UNH is now 2-0-0 all-time in championship games at Wildcat Stadium.
This is the program's second America East Championship as the Wildcats also won it in 2018.
This was the Wildcats' sixth appearance in the championship game. The previous appearances were 1993 (BU 1, UNH 0), 1994 (BU 3, UNH 1), 2010 (UMBC 0, UNH 0-UMBC wins PKs 5-4), 2012 (UMBC 0, UNH 0-UMBC wins PKs 4-2) and 2018 (UNH 5, UMBC 0).
UNH has only allowed seven goals all year, outscoring the opposition 37-7. This was the team's 12th shutout of the season.
The Wildcats remain undefeated at Wildcat Stadium this season with a record of 8-0-1, improving their all-time record to 28-1-4.
UNH has outscored its opponents 61-11 over the 33 games played at the stadium.
Want to show off your Wildcat pride? Celebrate the programs conference championship victory by making a donation directly to the program. Your support provides resources to the program to achieve awesome feats, like taking home the America East Conference Championship! Donate here.
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