UNH men's soccer: 4 key questions answered before 'Cats host Seton Hall in NCAA tournament

DURHAM — The University of New Hampshire men's soccer team has been rewarded after its latest America East conference championship with a home game in the opening round of the NCAA Division I tournament.

UNH (14-4), America East's automatic qualifier, will play host to Seton Hall (7-3-7) at 6 p.m. Thursday at Wildcat Stadium.

The Wildcats defeated Albany, 2-0, also in Durham, to win their fourth conference tournament title Sunday. Unlike last year, UNH is not one of the 48-team NCAA tournament's top 16 seeds and will not get a first-round bye.

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"We're really excited and happy with this underdog status," UNH's leading goal scorer Eli Goldman said. "Hopefully we can make a run one game at a time."

UNH is happy with the opportunity to play at home.

"Obviously, it's an honor, we've worked very hard throughout the season," UNH goalie Jassem Koleilat said. "We've had our highs and lows, and we seem to kind of peaking at the right time. Hopefully we can carry that momentum to the tournament and have a good run."

Here are four key questions answered as UNH heads into its sixth straight NCAA tournament and seventh in school history:

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What do we know about Seton Hall, UNH soccer's NCAA first-round opponent?

Seton Hall will travel from New Jersey to Durham for Thursday's first-round matchup, after falling to Creighton, 6-0, in the semifinals of the Big East conference tournament.

Although UNH head coach Marc Hubbard knows a few of the Seton Hall coaches, mainly head coach Andreas Lindberg, he said the team doesn't know much about the Pirates and will be watching film.

"So now we have to get ready and figure out what system they play, how to matchup, how to defend, how to attack and what to look for," Hubbard said. "That's where the work starts right now."

Seton Hall has scored 21 goals in 17 games — an average of 1.24 a game. This is the Pirates' 13th appearance in the Division I tournament.

The Pirates are led by senior Quenzi Huerman, who has seven goals and 18 points in 17 games. Starting goalkeeper Hannes Ronnholmen has started 16 games and allowed 21 goals.

Who is leading the pack of UNH Wildcat soccer standouts?

Goldman, a junior from Minneapolis, leads the Wildcats' offensive attack with eight goals and 17 points in 18 games. Bilal Kamal, a senior from London, and Paul Mayer, a graduate student from Strasbourg, France, have 11 points each. Mayer has five goals and Kamal has four.

"I think I've just been trying to just put my head down and work hard," Goldman said. "Just do that and things kind of fell where they did."

Goldman, who scored UNH's first goal in the conference final against Albany, joined the team as a walk-on and has developed over time, according to Hubbard.

"He always has an extremely hard work ethic and unbelievable character," Hubbard said. "Great leader in the locker room for our guys, and I'm very proud to see the success that he's having."

Senior Rory O'Driscoll of Minneapolis (10 points) and junior Moise Bombito of Montreal (8 points) each have scored four goals.

Koleilat, UNH's senior goalkeeper from Dubai, has allowed nine goals in 18 starts this season. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the America East tournament.

"I feel good about the season I'm having so far, and I look forward to performing on a bigger stage," Koleilat said.

Which UNH soccer players have Seacoast connections?

Two Wildcats grew up in the Seacoast area. Taig Healy, a freshman, graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Dover. Sophomore goalkeeper Cameron Hall graduated from Exeter High School.

"It's cool being a hometown guy, I know a bunch of people who can come watch me play like family and friends, which is a really cool experience for me," Healy said. "I've definitely embraced it and had a great time this season."

Healy has played in 10 games and has one assist, while Hall hasn't played so far. Healy was named to the America East All-Rookie team. Both players have played for Seacoast United.

How did UNH fare in the 2021 NCAA men's soccer tournament?

The Wildcats received a first-round bye as the 16th seed in the 2021 NCAA tournament and defeated North Carolina, 4-1, at home last year in the second round. UNH then lost at No. 1 Oregon State, 1-0, in the round of 16.

That result is still in the back of the minds of some players.

"I think we left last year feeling like we could've gone further than we did," Goldman said. "I think we've felt that in the past few years, so I think we've learned a lot of good lessons from those games and hopefully can put them forward, and take this one game at a time."

What is UNH men's soccer team's path ahead in NCAA tournament?

If UNH can defeat Seton Hall, it would advance to play at 10th-seeded Florida International University in Miami on Sunday in the tournament's round of 16. It would be the second meeting between UNH and FIU this season. UNH won the first meeting, 3-0, Sept. 10 at Wildcat Stadium in Durham.

"I think it's tough to be in a position to have to play Thursday and then turn around and go Sunday, but it's a familiar opponent," Hubbard said. "We're feeling pretty confident, but we have to get through Thursday first."

Healy, who watched the games on TV last year when he was a high school student, said the team played really well and was really close last season.

"We were a little bit away from making that big push, so we want to go the extra step this year for sure," Healy said. "We just want to prove that, yeah we're a small little school up in the middle of nowhere, but we want to dance with all of the big dogs."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: UNH to host Seton Hall in 2022 NCAA men's soccer tournament