Central Islip, N.Y. – The brackets for the East Coast Conference Men's and Women's Soccer Championships have been finalized after the conclusion of regular season play earlier today.
Each game of both championship will be played on campus sites. Tournament action begins on Wednesday, November 2 when the women's semifinals kick off and will conclude with the men's championship game on Saturday, November 5.
The LIU Post men's and Bridgeport women's teams are the top seeds and will have home-field advantage throughout the tournament.
Men's Soccer
LIU Post is the top seed in the men's bracket after clinching at least a share of the ECC Regular Season Championship for the sixth season in a row (the Pioneers shared the Regular Season title in 2012 and 2014). LIU Post comes into championship action ranked No. 2 in the country in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). The Pioneers, who are the reigning ECC Champions, finished with a 15-0-1 overall record and a 8-0-1 mark in ECC play.
The Pioneers' semifinal opponent will be No. 4 seeded, St. Thomas Aquinas. The Spartans, who finished the ECC portion of their schedule last weekend, had to anxiously wait until this weekend to learn they had clinched their second-ever ECC Championship appearance. St. Thomas Aquinas, who enters tournament play with an 8-4-5 (3-2-4 ECC) record, breaks a five year drought with their first ECC Championship appearance since 2010.
LIU Post eked out a 1-0 overtime win over St. Thomas Aquinas in the team's regular season meeting on October 23. The Pioneers scored the winning tally with 18 seconds left in the first overtime period.
Molloy is back in the bracket for the second time in three seasons as the No. 2 seed. The Lions compiled an 11-4-0 (7-2-0 ECC) regular season record to earn a playoff home game for the first time since 2008, also the season in which the Lions last won an ECC title.
The Lions' semifinal opponent will be No. 3 seed, NYIT. The Bears, who finished with a 10-4-3 (5-2-2 ECC) mark, are no strangers to the ECC Championship, having advanced to the tournament's final in four of the past five seasons.
Molloy was victorious in the regular season meeting between the two schools, winning by a 1-0 margin.
Women's Soccer
On the women's side, Bridgeport claimed the conference's Regular Season Championship with a second straight unbeaten run through the ECC. The Purple Knights, who are defending ECC Champions and ranked No. 13 in the latest NSCAA Division II poll, finished with a 14-3-0 (8-0-0 ECC) record. Bridgeport lit up the scoreboard during conference play, scoring at least five goals in six of eight ECC games to outscore their opponents 48-4.
The Purple Knights will take on No. 4 seed Roberts Wesleyan in a rematch of last year's ECC Championship final. The Redhawks finished with a 10-4-2 (5-2-1) mark during regular season play.
Bridgeport dominated the two schools' regular season meeting, winning by a final score of 7-0.
The other semifinal will be hosted by No. 2 seed, LIU Post. The Pioneers are making their 12th straight ECC Championship appearance and are in search of their first conference title since 2010. LIU Post joins Bridgeport in the national rankings, coming in at No. 22 after wrapping up the regular season with a 13-2-2 (6-1-1 ECC) record.
Mercy will take on LIU Post after earning the No. 3 seed with a 12-4-1 (5-2-1 ECC) mark. The Mavericks, who are looking for the second ECC title in three seasons, are back in the tournament field for the fourth straight year.
In the regular season meeting between the two schools, a goal with under a minute left in regulation lifted the Pioneers to victory.
2016 East Coast Conference Men's Soccer Championship
Semifinals – Thursday, November 3
No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas at No. 1 LIU Post - 1:00 p.m.
No. 3 NYIT at No. 2 Molloy - 7:00 p.m.
Final – Saturday, November 5
at highest remaining seed - time TBD
2016 East Coast Conference Women's Soccer Championship
Semifinals – Wednesday, November 2
No. 3 Mercy at No. 2 LIU Post - 1:00 p.m.
No. 4 Roberts Wesleyan at No. 1 Bridgeport - 6:00 p.m.
Final – Friday, November 4
at highest remaining seed - time TBD
