The Suffolk Men's Soccer team will opened up the 2010 Great Northeast Athletic Conference playoffs this weekend.
The Rams(8-7-1 overall, 5-3-1 GNAC) finished the 2010 regular season with a fourth-place finish and will host fifth-seeded Emerson College (7-8-1 overall, 5-3-1 GNAC). The matchup will feature two offense ranked nationally in the top 50 among all NCAA Division-III soccer programs. Suffolk ranks 26th scoring 2.75 goals per game, while Emerson is ranked 35 averaging 2.63 goals per game.
Suffolk defeated Emerson earlier this season 6-4 on October 11. The two teams meet for the second year in a row in the GNAC Quarterfinals as the Rams look to avenge last year's 1-0 loss.
The Rams will be led by junior Danny Lloyd (Tegucigalpa, Honduras) who leads the team in goals (9) and points (22). Lloyd recently received regional honors being named Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Week on October 15. Lloyd currently leads the GNAC in points per game (2.20) and shots per game (4.90) in only 10 games played this season. Suffolk will also count on sophomore Ben Rollins (Lee, N.H.), who returned from an injury three games ago. Rollins was named GNAC Player of the Week on October 25. Since returning from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for most of the season, Rollins has scored four goals, registering 10 points in the Rams' On the season Rollins has scored six goals and registered 15 points in seven games. Two of his six goals have been game-winners as the Rams are 4-3 with him in the lineup. Freshman Jeff Harvey (Reading, Mass.) is tied for tenth with six goals on the year. Senior Luis Flores (Madrid, Spain) and junior Nick Cugine (Ridgefield, Conn.) are both tied for fourth in the conference with six assists.
Emerson will look to Sophomore Jacob Lawrence (Clifton, Va.) offensively who has put up outstanding numbers. Lawrence currently leads the GNAC in points with 30 in 15 games played. He is also ranked nationally as his 2.0 points per game average is ranked 18th among all NCAA Division-III players. He is also ranked 12th nationally with 13 goals on the season. Senior Eric Dabdoub (Monterey, Mexico) is currently fifth in the nation with 11 assists on the year. Senior Mike Giles (Wakefield, R.I.) has scored three-game winning goals this year for the Lions. Lawrence (30), Giles (22) and Dabdoub (17) are all in the top 10 in the GNAC in points this season.
The Rams posted a 4-3-1 record this season at Dilboy Stadium, it will be the second year in a row they've hosted a home playoff game in Somerville.