CCC RELEASE | INTERACTIVE BRACKET | PRINTABLE BRACKET
BIDDEFORD, Maine – The Suffolk men's soccer team will enter the 2022 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Postseason as the fourth seed, the league office announced late Tuesday night.
Suffolk sealed the fourth after a tiebreaker. Both the Rams and Seahawks of Salve Regina finished with identical 4-2-3 league ledgers for 15 points and played one another to a head-to-head in the season finale Tuesday, Oct. 25 to offer no resolve. In the next step, the teams' results against the remaining CCC teams in rank order factored in. Suffolk defeated top-seeded Endicott, 1-0, while SRU played the Gulls to a 3-3 stalemate during the regular-season. Those results pushed the Rams to the fourth spot and gave the Seahawks the fifth seed.
Not only is the fourth seed the highest finish for Suffolk in the CCC era and under Bill Maddock's guidance, it is the best finish for Suffolk squad since it took fourth in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference 2016 Tournament. Overall, the blue-and-gold has been the fourth seed in a league's postseason on five occasions, including in 2010 when the program won its only conference crown.
The Rams second straight trip and second-ever chance to vie for a CCC Trophy marks the first time in program history that the blue-and-gold will host a playoff game in the CCC era. It is the first time since 2016 and fifth time overall that Suffolk will hold hosting rights in conference postseason play.
Suffolk and Salve Regina are scheduled to meet in the CCC Quarterfinals Saturday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. at the Rams' home turf at James A. Sartori Stadium at East Boston Memorial Park.
Before quarterfinal contests this weekend, the tournament begins with an Opening Round match between the No. 7 Gordon and No. 8 Wentworth on Thursday, Oct. 27 in Wenham, Massachusetts at 4 p.m.
The Opening Round is part of a newly adopted postseason structure that went into effect last season and expanded the CCC tournament's size from seven to eight. With this configuration, the top seed is awarded a bye directly into the semifinals.
Endicott (12-4-4, 7-1-1 CCC) which entered the United Soccer Coaches National Poll this week at No. 22, received a bye into the semis, while the five remaining teams and the winner of the Opening Round set for the CCC Quarterfinals on Saturday, Oct. 29.
Roger Williams, meanwhile, await (11-3-4, 6-2-1 CCC) s the decision of Thursday's Opening Round tangle with the winner of the Fighting Scots and Leopards battle set to face the Hawks.
The third remaining quarterfinal pits the third seed Golden Bears of Western New England (9-6-3, 6-3-0 CCC) against sixth seed Nichols (10-6-3, 3-3-3 CCC).
For the semis, the winner of the Rams, Seahawks showdown will take on top seed Endicott Wednesday, Nov. 2, while the other side of the bracket will feature the two quarterfinal winners. The Rams look to advance to the semis for the first time in the CCC era, first time since 2016 and fourth time overall.
The CCC Champion will be crowned at the highest remaining seed Saturday, Nov. 5 and earn the league's automatic qualifier into the 2022 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship.
2022 CCC MEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Opening Round – Thursday, Oct. 27
#8 Wentworth at #7 Gordon – 4:00 PM – Live Stats | Live Video
Quarterfinals – Saturday, Oct. 29
#7/8 Winner AT #2 Roger Williams
#6 Nichols at #3 Western New England
#5 Salve Regina at #4 Suffolk
Semifinals – Wednesday, Nov. 2
#4/5 Winner at #1 Endicott
#3/6 Winner at #2/7/8 Winner
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 5
Semifinal Winners at higher seed