#25 Providence Rides Early Lead to NCAA Tournament Win

The No. 25 Providence College men’s soccer team defeated the Bucknell Bison (7-7-6), 2-1, in an NCAA First Round match on Thursday, Nov. 21 on Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium in Providence, R.I. With the win, the Friars improved to 13-5-3 overall. Graduate students Aidan Davock (Medway, Mass.) and Israel Neto (Salvador, Brazil) scored the PC goals to send the Friars to the NCAA Second Round for the ninth time in program history and first time since 2021. With the win, the Friars improved to 14-11-1 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.

RECORDS
No. 25 Providence (13-5-3)
Bucknell (7-7-6)

SCORE
Providence 2 | Bucknell 1

VENUE
Chapey Field | Providence, R.I.

GAME FLOW & NOTES
• In the 11th minute (11:36), Kevin Castañeda (Providence, R.I.) delivered a long pass to Aidan Davock, who controlled the ball with two touches inside the box before curling a shot past the goalkeeper and into the far post.
• With 13 minutes left in the first half (31:45), Bruno Rosa (Cascais, Portugal) executed a give-and-go with Aidan, who delivered a one-touch pass to Neto. Neto unleashed an unstoppable shot from far outside the box. It marked his fourth goal in four straight post-season games.
• Rosa came close to securing the Friars’ third goal just minutes later when his shot narrowly missed, grazing inches past the post (33:28).
• The Bison got on the board with a goal with two minutes left in the half (42:09).
• At the 52nd minute (52:01), Rosa sent in a cross to Davock, whose header deflected off the crossbar.
• This marked PC’s 12th appearance in an NCAA First Round match.
• The Friars are now 7-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament play at home.
• Providence is now 8-0-1 when scoring two or more goals.
• Providence Head Coach Craig Stewart improved to 11-5-1 all-time in NCAA Tournament action.
• Attendance: 829

GOALKEEPERS
Providence- Lukas Burns – 5 saves, 1 goal allowed
Bucknell–Freddie Lapworth– 6 saves, 2 goals allowed

STAT COMPARISON
Providence
Shots: 12
Shots on Goal: 8
Corner Kicks: 4
Fouls: 10
Saves: 5

Bucknell
Shots: 10
Shots on Goal: 6
Corner Kicks: 1
Fouls: 9
Saves: 6

UP NEXT
The No. 25 Friars will travel to Clemson, S.C. to play the seventh-ranked and ninth-seeded Clemson Tigers (14-2-4) on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 6:00 p.m. The Tigers have won two of the last three NCAA College Cups. This will mark PC’s ninth all-time appearance in the NCAA Second Round.

The Friars’ sole NCAA Tournament matchup against Clemson occurred in 2019, when Providence suffered a 2-1 overtime loss in the NCAA Third Round at Clemson.