They could've mailed it in. It could have been over early.

After not scoring a goal between September 1 and 19, they could've mailed it in. After starting Northeast-10 Conference play with an 0-5 record, they could have completely mailed it in.

They didn't. Closing the year with an 5-1-2 record in NE10 play, the American International College men's soccer team pulled off the improbable: an NE10 postseason berth, and a return to the postseason for the first time since 2016, with plenty of dramatics along the way.

Now, eighth-seeded AIC will take the long trek to Syracuse, New York, to take on top-seeded Le Moyne College on Tuesday, October 30.

HOW THEY GOT HERE
Despite a season-opening victory over Georgian Court University - who went on to post a 12-4-0 record during the year -AIC fell quickly into a losing streak, starting with a 3-0 shutout by then-No. 6 LIU Post.

Entering conference play, a pair of 1-0 losses to the College of Saint Rose and Stonehill College were an early concern. AIC's scoring woes were soon aggravated by a 6-0 road loss to Le Moyne College on September 19.

"Initially, we were upset about the result, who wouldn't be?" said senior goalkeeper Nicholas Romei. "But then coach reminded us that it was only our third conference game of the season, and we had a long way to go, and that we shouldn't let that result define who we are."

The 1-0 curse continued with a tight loss to then-No. 6 Merrimack College on September 22; three days later, the scoring drought stopped, as the Yellow Jackets notched three goals in a home contest vs. the University of New Haven. But that wouldn't be enough, as a goal from the Chargers with five minutes remaining in overtime gave them a 4-3 win, and pushed the Yellow Jackets' conference record to 0-5.

"One of the reasons we were struggling was because our team has a lot players from different countries, and the chemistry took a while to be as now," said junior forward Felipe Novelini.

"We struggled early in the season to play together, as a team,since we had several new players and not that much time to get to know each other on the field," said graduate student midfielder Alexandre Frank. "We could tell that we had a lot of talented players, but there was not harmony between us, and the first resultsbrought frustration within the team."

A trip to Saint Anselm College on September 29 stopped the bleeding, with goals from sophomore forward Josip Validzic and Frank in a 2-1 win; a tough test awaited, however, with a home contest against national No. 7 Southern New Hampshire University.

Trailing 2-1 after 70 minutes, a goal from graduate student back Yanis Boucetta gave AIC a draw against the Penmen - just the 22nd time since the beginning of the 2013 season, in 112 total games, that Southern New Hampshire had not posted a win.

"This game was clearly the turning point of our season," Boucetta said. "It showed us that we can be good when we play our own games. Personally, it was a special game for me, as I scored my first collegiate goal in the U.S. I was so proud of my teammates and grateful for all the support.

"That was the moment where we realized that when we are all on the same page, and when everyone fights for each other, we can beat anyone."

"The big change for us was that we had got away from enjoying playing the game," said junior captain Jake Durham. "We all love playing soccer, but we weren't showing that we enjoyed it. We played with too much pressure on ourselves. As soon as we forgot about results and just enjoyed playing soccer, we started to see improvements in performance and results."

That was just the beginning of a five-game unbeaten streak in the NE10, highlighted by a double-overtime win over Assumption College on October 9 and a 2-0 victory over Southern Connecticut State University on October 13 en route to a 4-0-1 record between September 29 and October 17.

Still, on the bubble of making the postseason, AIC needed favorable results in the final three games of the year. And after a 2-1 home loss to Bentley University on October 20, that was even more crucial.

A 2-1 overtime win over Franklin Pierce University on October 23 - with the OT winner from Validzic - kept the Yellow Jackets' postseason hopes alive; AIC entered its final game against national No. 9 Adelphi University needing just one point to secure a postseason spot.

Early in that game against the Panthers, AIC's postseason chances looked like a sure thing, as the Yellow Jackets led, 2-0, just 17:06 into the game. Just as quickly, however, that possibility seemed to disappear, with Adelphi scoring four more before the end of the first half to swing things in their favor.

That 4-2 lead held until the final six-and-a-half minutes of the game, when sophomore midfielder Connor Hicks scored to make it 4-3. In a must-score situation in the waning seconds of regulation, Romei came out of net into the field; he got a touch to Frank who scored with two seconds left on the clock to force overtime.

AIC was down, but never out - extending its season when there could have only been two seconds left in its season.
"It says a lot, we never gave up even though we were at our worst, and it proves thateverything is possible with dedication," Frank said.
The draw held through 20 minutes of overtime, giving AIC the single point it needed to qualify for the postseason.

"Our last game against Adelphi is a good summary of our season," Boucetta said. "In this situation, when nobody thought it was possible, we did not give up and we found the physical and mental resources to face the adversity and qualify for the playoffs."

KEY CONTRIBUTORS

Josip Validzic: Validzic led the team in scoring this year, with 17 points and a team-best eight goals. Three of his goals came in the final week, with the winner against Franklin Pierce and a pair against Adelphi, earning him NE10 Player of the Week honors. "," Validzic said. "

Stefan Balan: The sophomore back appeared in every minute of every game during the regular season, showing marked improvement at defense and keeping AIC in the mix every single game. "I just kept doing what I was doing from the start of the season, playing with confidence and being vocal in the back," Balan said. "As a center back, you must take the role of a leader and push your team to stay focused and fight until the end. You must keep them motivated in training and in games."
Felipe Novelini: Novelini ranked second on the team in goals scored (six) and points (15); he provided a spark at forward for the Yellow Jackets, highlighted by 11 shots recorded against New Haven. Novelini ranked seventh in the NE10 in total shots this year.

Alexandre Frank: Frank appeared in 15 of AIC's 16 games this year, and ranked third on the team in goals (five) and points (11). All five of his goals came in wins; he had goals in three of AIC's final four games, and provided important leadership throughout the year.

Jake Durham: The team captain tied for the team lead in assists, with four in 2018, and served as a key leader for the Yellow Jackets on and off the field, even through the tough stretch. "As captain it is very tough to deal with I have to not just pick myself up but the whole team up as well and try and stay as positive as I can. It was the hardest part as captain to not let my emotions get the best of me."
Nicholas Romei: After starting the year 0-2 in goal, Romei went 3-0-2 over his final five decisions, proving to be reliable down the stretch - including a shutout in a 2-0 win over Southern Connecticut. "I just continued to talk to the guys on the field," Romei said. "Even though most of the time I wasn't involved in the play directly, continuously talking to the defense and midfield kept me focused and composed throughout the game, especially in the very close games."
SCOUTING THE DOLPHINS
Of course, AIC doesn't forget that 6-0 loss to Le Moyne on September 19.
"We are going there with apositive mindset and extremelymotivated," Frank said. "We will do our best to take our revenge on them by keeping this positive energy and our way of playing, which is amazing now that we all know each other,and our dedication to win everysingle game."
"Given the fact we have already played Le Moyne, the team is ready to go back and pull off a win," Balan said. "I believe we have the momentum on our side and the boys are focused more than ever now. The mindset going into the playoffs is knowing that anything is possible now and we are going to run through whatever is thrown in front of us - together."

"We are like a familywe are not only teammates, we are friends, and this makes the total difference," Novelini said. "When we are on the field, we run for each other, we fight for each other and after the final whistle we celebrate together - it is simple.After the bad start to the season, we had the best comeback. I can say the team who is going to the playoffs is definitely not the same team that started the season."

GAME INFO
No. 8 AIC Yellow Jackets (6-8-2, 5-6-2 NE10) at No. 1 Le Moyne Dolphins (13-2-1, 10-2-1 NE10)
When: Tuesday, October 30 - 1 p.m.
Where: Ted Grant Field - Syracuse, New York

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