Leopards eliminate Seahawks, 5-1

BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Alberto Benhamu (Caracas, Venezuela) recorded a pair of goals, freshman Noah Martins (Dartmouth, Mass.) scored a goal and assisted on three others, and freshman Matthew Sekerak (Winthrop, Maine) made 11 saves as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's soccer team defeated Salve Regina University, 4-1, on Saturday afternoon at Sweeney Field in the Commonwealth Coast Conference quarterfinals.

With the win, Wentworth (14-4) advances to the conference semifinals Tuesday, Nov. 3 against top-seeded Endicott College, which beat Curry College this afternoon by a score of 2-0. Salve Regina sees its season conclude at 6-10-2 overall. The semifinal game is set to begin at 7 p.m.

The Leopards wasted little time getting on the board as sophomore Matt Cicalis (Bridgewater, Mass.) fired home the Leopards' initial marker in the third minute – his fifth marker of the season at 2:48. Cicalis headed in a pass at the far post from Noah Martins, who had taken the initial pass from senior Sam Martins (Dartmouth, Mass.).

Salve Regina attempted to respond with a pair of attempts by graduate student Kyle Knoth (East Islip, N.Y.) and senior Mark Marino (Smithfield, R.I.) minutes later, but both attempts were denied by Sekerak (Winthrop, Maine). Both teams continued to trade shots as the session progressed before Noah Martins located Benhamu in the 39th minute. Benhamu doubled the Black and Gold's advantage, firing home his fourth goal of the season to the far post at 39:48.

Knoth would slice the deficit early in the second half, directing a shot from outside the box on the far side into the Wentworth net at 45:40 following feeds from junior Evan Dudley (North Andover, Mass.) and freshman Nathaniel Crocker (Hallowell, Maine). Knoth's goal – his fourth of the season – landed in the upper left corner of the Wentworth net.

The Leopards responded almost 10 minutes later as Noah Martins located Benamhu inside the box in the 56th minute. Benhamu fired his second goal of the match into the lower right corner at 55:22 to push the hosts ahead, 3-1.

Noah Martins would make it a 4-1 game late in the session by pouncing on a loose ball in the Seahawks zone before firing a shot over the middle that bounced off the Salve Regina goalie before land in the net at 73:18. The goal was Martins' seventh of the season.

Wentworth would cap its offensive output during the final two minutes as sophomore Gaston Cetrangolo (Easton, Mass.) fired home an unassisted goal 88:27. His first goal of the season was launched from the right side of the box.

Both teams concluded the match with 19 shots, while the Seahawks held an advantage in corners, five to four. Sekerak recorded 11 stops, while Salve Regina freshman Michael Payan (Fort Lee, N.J.) finished with eight stops.