Strong second half propels Nassau to national title
Balanced effort helps the Lions claim first men's soccer national title in 17 years
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | BOX SCORE | PHOTOS | AWARDS
HERKIMER, N.Y. – Winning its first NJCAA Division III men’s soccer title since 1998, Nassau (N.Y.) shot its way to a 4-0 rout of Bunker Hill (Mass.) in the championship final.
Sophomore Marvin Eveillard was the top performer for the Lions, totaling three points in the victory. The forward put the match away late with a goal and an assist in the final 15 minutes of play.
Sophomore midfielder Reece Dalton initiated the onslaught with the Lions’ first goal of the match. In the 36th minute, Dalton registered the opening score off an assist from freshman defender Frank Minton. Despite giving up the goal, Bunker Hill’s defense held strong for the remained of the opening period and entered the locker room at halftime trailing just 1-0.
The Bulldogs continued their resilience in the first 17 minutes of the second half but eventually succumbed to the Nassau attack. Lions sophomore forward Benjamin Alonge scored an unassisted goal in the 63rd minute which was followed by an Eveillard score off an assist from freshman defender Dylan Drasin in the 76th. Eveillard made an encore in the scoring summary as he assisted a goal by sophomore forward Franky Villegas in the 89th minute.
Tallying five points in three matches, Alonge was honored as the tournament MVP. Outside of his performance in the final, the Elmont, New York, native posted a goal and an assist that both proved crucial for Nassau in the semifinals.
Despite their absence in the title match’s scoring action, midfielder Etienne Botty and defender Andrew Boylan made valuable contributions to the Lions’ effort. Both freshmen were honored with all-tournament recognition.
In the quarterfinals, No. 3 seed Nassau launched its championship run with a 2-0 shutout of No. 6 seed Bergen (N.J.). The Lions faced their toughest test of the tournament in the semifinals where it took overtime for them to pull away from No. 2 seed Richland (Texas), 3-2.
Nassau added a fourth national championship to its program’s trophy case. The Lions previously won their first national title in 1966 – prior to the divisional split – and claimed back-to-back DIII crowns in 1997 and 1998.
With both of its losses coming at the hands of DI opponents, Nassau completed its season unbeaten by DIII squads for a 21-2-1 record. Despite the remarkable run by Bunker Hill as the No. 8 seed, the Bulldogs finished at 16-8-0.