Castine, ME – Kyle Smith and Brett Anderson each found the back of the net in the second half as the SUNY Canton men's soccer team upset top seed and tournament host Maine Maritime Academy in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) semifinal on Saturday.

The Roos advance to the championship match on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. where they will face the winner of Thomas College and Husson University. The winner will earn the NAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.  

The Mariners had a great scoring opportunity midway through the first half on a quick counterattack but Mouhammed Thiam came out charging to make a terrific play and keep the game scoreless.

Early in the second half the Roos where whistled for a foul and had a player sent off forcing the team to play with 10 men the final 40 minutes of the contest. SUNY Canton showed its resiliency holding a 5-2 shots on goal edge the remainder of the game and outscoring the Mariners 2-1 on the scoreboard.
 
Edward Malinoski, Jr. made a great play to set up Smith's 10th goal of the season as he went off the left post and in to break the tie. Thirteen minutes later Anderson added a key insurance goal. Smith fed a pass to Anderson whose initial shot was saved by Mariner keeper Joshua Reeks but Anderson put home the rebound.

That late goal proved crucial when MMA scored off the foot of Colby Clarke with just 46 seconds remaining.

Mouhammed Thiam made three saves for the Roos (9-9-2), while Reeks stopped seven shots for Maine Maritime (8-7-1).
 
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About SUNY Canton
SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management and public service and recently received number one rankings in library resources, library services and tutoring services in the SUNY Student Opinion Survey. The college's faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 16 online degree programs. The college's 15 athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level as part of the North Atlantic Conference. For more information, visit www.canton.edu.