11/1/24
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College men's soccer, after a strong end to its regular season, now turns its attention to the postseason, as the Falcons travel to take on Mercer County CC in the Region XIX DII semi-final round this Friday, November 1^st.
 
The match is set for a 5:00pm ET kickoff at the Mercer County CC soccer field in West Windsor Twp., NJ, and will pit the top-seed Vikings and the fourth-seed Falcons. It's the second of two matches on the day, with second-seed Essex facing third-seed Massasoit CC in the first game at 2:00pm ET. The winners of each match will face off in the Region XIX DII championship on Saturday, November 2^nd, at 2:00pm ET, also at Mercer County CC soccer field.
 
There will be a video livestream available via the Mercer County CC Vimeo Channel, linked HERE.
 
About The Falcons
Lackawanna College (4-5-0) won three of its final four games heading into the tournament, most recently knocking off PSU Scranton on the road on October 21^st by a 3-0 margin. The Falcons finished third in Region XIX DII play, dropping both their matches with Essex and Mercer by a combined 16-2 score. The Falcons are the fourth seed in the tournament, by virtue of Massasoit CC being entered as the third seed. Massasoit CC is the only representative from Region XXI in men's soccer, so is entered in the Region XIX tournament.
 
Through nine games, Lackawanna has faced 176 shots, 126 on target, while putting up 96 shots of its own. Falcons' keepers have a combined 85 saves this year. The Falcons have scored 23 goals, while giving up 41 so far this year.
 
Sophomore striker Sebastian Carmona (Scranton, PA) has six goals and four assists this season to lead the team. Carmona scored a pair of goals in the win against Northampton on 10/5, scoring a goal on either side of halftime. He also had an assist in the first half of the win. He scored two goals against County College of Morris on October 15th. He assisted the Lackawanna goal on a corner kick against Mercer in the 7-1 loss. Seba picked up an assist on a goal against PSU Scranton back on 10/21. He scored nine goals for the Falcons last year.
 
First-year midfielder Nahuel Minis (Old Forge, PA) has five goals and an assist this season, with all five goals coming in four of his last seven games. Minis scored a pair of goals against Bucks County CC on 10/12, one on either side of the half, using his head twice to give the Falcons the lead. He scored a nice half-volley strike against Union back on 10/3 off a free kick pass, then followed that up with an excellent strike from the top of the box against Northampton on 10/5, curling a shot into the top left corner of the net. Minis recorded his assist in the loss to Essex earlier this season. He did not score against Mercer earlier this season, and he was held without a goal against PSU Scranton on 10/21.
 
Sophomore Ermir Hoti (Gjakova, Kosovo) has a goal and a team-best three assists this season, all coming in his last six games. He had a goal and an assist against Union on 10/3, then had a great assist on a long through ball that found Carmona in the first half against Northampton on 10/5. He had an assist against Morris last Tuesday. Hoti had one shot on a free kick against Mercer. Hoti did not record a shot in the win against PSU Scranton. He was named to the All-Region XIX first team earlier this week. Hoti led last year's team with ten goals and four assists.
 
Reigning Region XIX Player of the Year, Guillermo Ramírez (Valencia, Venezuela) has a goal and an assist on the year. He finally got himself going this season, with a goal to open the scoring against Morris, and an assist in the victory. Ramírez did not score against Mercer, and he had one shot in the win at PSU Scranton. He had four goals and an assist last season and was the main player that held down the quality midfield for the Falcons a year ago.
 
First-year midfielder Alexandro Velazquez (Wilkes-Barre, PA) has two goals and an assist this season. He got on the scoresheet with a goal and an assist against Northampton on 10/5. His goal came only three minutes into the contest, when he kept possession along the touchline, darted to his right, and slotted a shot past the Northampton keeper. His assist came in the second half, when he took the ball down the right side of the pitch, then crossed it back towards the goal, where Carmona ran onto it and poked it home. Velazquez scored a goal in the win against Morris on 10/15, but did not score against Mercer. He had a shot on target in the win at PSU Scranton.
 
Sophomore Tyler Pepsin (Old Forge, PA) got himself going as of late, scoring four goals in his last three games. Pepsin scored a pair of goals in the win at Morris on 10/15, then scored the only goal in the loss to Mercer on 10/19, before scoring another goal for the Falcons late in the second half against PSU Scranton on 10/21.
 
Sophomore Sebastian Charles (Bethesda, MD) played sparingly last year, due to injury, but has started every game in the middle of the defense this season. Charles isn't the only one coming back from injury, as the Falcons will also have the services of defender Jordan Artmont (Dallas, PA), who missed all last season with injury, and is healthy for the Falcons.
 
In goal, Aldo Vargas (Scranton, PA) returns for the Falcons. He has 76 saves this year, facing heavy pressure from the opposition. Vargas played sparingly last season as keeper and will be stepping into a starting role for the Lackawanna this year. Vargas had seven saves in the win against Northampton. He had 15 saves against Harcum last Wednesday and put up seven saves in the win against Bucks County last weekend. He had 15 saves against Mercer on 10/19. Vargas put up seven saves and earned the clean sheet in the win against PSU Scranton on 10/21.
 
The interim head coach is Danny Berg, who is also the Coordinator of Athletic Operations and Fundraising for Lackawanna College Athletics. Berg has been with the College for nearly 20 years, and was hired as the first-ever women's soccer coach in the mid 2000's. On top of his duties with the Falcons, Berg spent a few seasons as the head boys and girls soccer coach at Valley View HS.
 
About Mercer County CC
The Vikings (14-2-1) enter on a ten-game winning streak and are the top seed in this weekend's tournament. There have been exactly two matches all season where the Vikings have given up more than one goal, and they have lost both. The only losses on the year for Mercer are a 6-0 defeat against Harcum back on 8/27, and a 2-1 loss to CCBC Essex on 9/7. In the ten straight games the Vikings have won, they have five clean sheets and have outscored their opponents 49-5. Their last game was their 7-1 win on the road at Lackawanna College on October 19^th. The Vikings held a 2-0 lead against the Falcons at halftime, when Lackawanna managed to score on a header early in the second half that made it 2-1. Mercer rattled off five straight goals from there to run away for the win.
 
Mercer has scored 67 goals this season and allowed 15. The Vikings have eight clean sheets this season. Mercer is super balanced, with eight different players with four or more goals on the season.
 
First-year player Adrian Garcia Franco leads the team with nine goals and four assists this season. Garcia Franco scored four goals in his last three games, including two goals in a 6-0 win against Catonsville on October 5^th. He has not played since October 9^th.
 
Sophomore Joao Delgado is second on the team with seven goals and three assists. Delgado had two goals against Georgian Court JV, and scored goals against Catonsville, and Cecil, all in a ten-day stretch. He did not score and took one shot in the win at Monroe Bronx. He did not play in the game against Lackawanna on October 19^th.
 
First-year player Daniel Franco has scored seven goals and has one assist this season. Franco had a hattrick in a 5-1 win at Eastern JV on October 2^nd. He missed four games through the beginning of October, but came back to action on 10/16 against Monroe Bronx, where he scored a goal in the victory over the Express. He played and started, but did not score against Lackawanna.
 
Sophomore Lesedi Hlabeli has six goals and five assists this year. Hlabeli had a stretch from September 14^th through October 5^th where he scored a goal in four straight games, and has scored a goal in two straight games against Cecil (10/15) and Monroe Bronx (10/16) leading into the match-up with Lackawanna College. Hlabeli had a goal and an assist against Bronx on three shots in the victory. He got the start, but did not score against Lackawanna.
 
Sophomore Francesco Quintavalla has four goals and a team-best nine assists this season. Quintavalla has had two games with two assists, putting up two helpers in the win against Essex on September 21^st, and then two more assists on 10/5 against CCBC Catonsville. It was part of a stretch where he had seven assists in five games. He had three shots in the win against Monroe Bronx. He did not play against Lackawanna on 10/19.
 
First-year keeper Ignacio Pacheco has the most action on the team this season between the pipes, allowing eleven goals in 12 games, a 1.10 average, and putting up 25 saves. He's been a part of six clean sheets this season. He has twice had six saves, his season-high, once against Nassau on 8/25, and the other against Raritan Valley on 9/10. Pacheco has not played in the last five games this season. His last game was against CCBC Catonsville on 10/5.
 
Sophomore Elias Ramos has been the keeper for the last five games, allowing three goals in his appearances this season. Ramos has two shutouts, including the win on 10/16 against Monroe Bronx. Ramos gave up one goal against the Falcons on 10/19.
 
The head coach for the Vikings is Widmarc Tigana Dalce, now in his 12^th season as the mentor for the program. Dalce was a member of the 1996 national championship team at Mercer and earned All-Region honors in 1997. The Haitian native was a member of the Olympic national team from 1991 through 1993, then graduated from Mercer in 1998, before continuing his academic career at American International College, where he also played soccer. He's been an assistant coach at Rider University for the women's team, as well as a head coach at the high school level and the youth leagues. Dalce was an assistant with the Vikings prior to taking over in 2012. He has a 153-56-14 record as head coach with Mercer.
 
The Matchup
The match between the Falcons and the Vikings is set for a 5:00pm ET kickoff at the Mercer County CC soccer field in West Windsor Twp., NJ on Friday, November 1^st. Mercer is the first seed in the tournament, while Lackawanna is the fourth seed. It's the second of two matches on the day, with second-seed Essex facing third-seed Massasoit CC in the first game at 2:00pm ET. The winners of each match will face off in the Region XIX DII championship on Saturday, November 2^nd, at 2:00pm ET, also at Mercer County CC soccer field.
 
There will be a video livestream available via the Mercer County CC Vimeo Channel, linked HERE.
 
Lackawanna must win on Friday, or its season will come to a close.