As the fall sports regular season concludes, only the women’s soccer team will compete in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference playoffs.
The women’s team clinched the playoffs following a 3-2 victory over Babson on Oct. 20. The team ranks fourth out of eleven in the conference with a record of 5-2-1.
Head coach David Suvak said team leaders look to guide the squad through playoffs after missing out last season.
“We have a group of strong seniors that are mentally driven to perform well,” Suvak said. “With this being their last competitive season, they want to not only advance to the playoffs but to perform well in the playoffs. They have a good mentality at this moment.”
The team will play its remaining conference games against Clark University—3-4—on Oct. 23 and Massachusetts Institute of Technology—7-0—on Oct. 27.
Emerson can finish for the second seeding position if the team wins both games and second-ranked Springfield College loses its two remaining games. They would also require third-ranked Worcester Polytechnic Institute to lose at least one of its remaining games.
The worst-case scenario for Emerson would place them sixth out of seven in the playoff. If the Lions lose both games and the United States Coast Guard Academy wins its final game, Emerson would drop to fifth. Additionally, if Clark were to win both their remaining games, Emerson would fall to sixth. The top seven teams make the playoffs.
As for the men’s soccer team, their 4-1 loss to Wheaton on Oct. 27 eliminated them from playoff contention. At 1-5, the team fell to eighth in the conference with one game remaining.
Head Coach Brian Harkin said the team needed to capitalize on key opportunities if they wanted to crack the postseason.
“All season long we’ve been right in the mix,” Harkin said. “We have to be a little more efficient and clinical in those defining moments of the game.”
Men’s soccer will play MIT—1-3-2—on Oct. 27 in their final conference game.
As for women’s volleyball, the Coast Guard’s victory over Smith on Oct. 16 eliminated the Lions from playoff contention.
Senior Fara Cohen said the team awaits opportunities that remain this season.
“This team has a deep passion for the game of volleyball, and we continue to show up for each other,” Cohen said. “Growth within a program goes beyond just wins and losses. This team has worked hard day in, day out. And we have grown together throughout the season and accomplished a lot. The playoffs may not be going our way this year, but that doesn’t mean the final games are throwaways.”
The Lions will aim to score upsets in their final games by toppling top-ranked MIT—7-1—on Oct. 23 and Springfield College—7-1—on Oct. 27.
