CCC CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | 2023 CCC MEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT BRACKET
BEVERLY, Mass. – Suffolk men's soccer heads into the 2023 Commonwealth Coast Conference Men's Soccer Tournament as the fourth seed for the second straight season, the league office announced late Tuesday night.
The Rams earned the fourth seed after producing a 4-2-2 league ledger. Overall, Suffolk went 9-5-3, the most regular-season victories since 2017 (9-6-1).
The fourth seed ties the highest finish for Suffolk in the CCC era and under Bill Madddock's guidance. Overall, the blue-and-gold has been the fourth seed in a league's postseason on six occasions, including in 2010 when the program won its only conference crown, a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) title. All four of the Rams semifinals runs and the pair of conference championship contest appearances have come when Suffolk is the league tournament's fourth seed. Overall, Suffolk sits 8-5 when competing as the fourth seed in a conference's postseason.
Suffolk's third straight and third-ever chance to vie for a CCC crown marks the second straight season that the blue-and-gold will host a playoff game in the CCC era and sixth time overall that Suffolk will hold hosting rights in conference postseason play. As the home team, the Rams are 4-1 in a conference tournament.
For the quarterfinals, Suffolk will entertain fifth seed Endicott at James A. Sartori Stadium at East Boston Memorial Park Saturday, Oct. 28 at 11 a.m. The Gulls wrapped up the fifth seed in the seven-team field with a 4-3-1 league ledger and 8-6-4 overall mark.
The Rams will tangle with Endicott in the CCC postseason for the second time, first time squaring off in the 2022 CCC Semifinals in Beverly a year ago. Suffolk shutout the Gulls in that meeting, 2-0, which marked the squad's first-ever CCC postseason victory.
Earlier this season, Suffolk put on an offensive performance at Endicott to take down the Gulls, 4-1, the largest margin of victory for the Boston team in the all-time series, which leveled at 3-3-0. In Eastie the Rams are 1-1-0 against Endicott. The blue-and-gold, who is on a three-game win streak versus the Gulls, have outscored their conference counterpart 7-1 in the last three meetings.
The winner of Saturday's showdown will earn a spot in the 2023 CCC semifinals Tuesday, Oct. 31 at regular-season champion Western New England (6-6-5, 5-1-2 CCC) at 2 p.m.
The other side of the bracket features quarterfinals contests of No. 6 Curry at No.3 Gordon at 3 p.m., and No. 7 Nichols at No. 2 Roger Williams at 12 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 28. The winners of each of those bouts will tangle in the second semifinal on Halloween.
The CCC Champion will be crowned at the highest remaining seed Saturday, Nov. 4 and earn the league's automatic qualifier into the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship.
2023 CCC MEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT
Quarterfinals – Saturday, Oct. 28
Match 1: #5 Endicott at #4 Suffolk – 11:00 AM
Match 2: #6 Curry at #3 Gordon – 3:00 PM
Match 3: #7 Nichols at #2 Roger Williams – 12:00 PM
Semifinals – Tuesday, Oct. 31
Match 4: Winner of Match 1 at #1 Western New England – 2:00 PM
Match 5: Winner of Match 2 vs. Winner of Match
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 4
Match 6: Winner of Match 4 vs. Winner of Match 5