WINTHROP, MASS. – The Norwich University men's soccer team has secured the No. 7 seed in the 2026 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer Championship and will travel to face No. 2 seed Albertus Magnus College in the GNAC Quarterfinals on Saturday, Oct. 31. The Cadets enter the postseason at 9-5-3 overall and 6-4-2 in conference play, looking to carry their late-season momentum into a rematch with the Falcons after a tightly contested regular-season meeting in September.
Norwich earned its postseason position after putting together a productive campaign that featured several dominant offensive performances, important conference victories, and the emergence of a new starting goalkeeper. The Cadets have demonstrated their ability to create scoring opportunities in bunches, highlighted by a nine-goal performance against Vermont State University Johnson and a four-goal shutout of Lasell University. Norwich also closed its regular season with a 3-1 road victory over New England College on Tuesday, Oct. 27, providing a positive result heading into the conference tournament.
The Cadets' attack has been led by senior midfielder Diego Fuentes (Valencia, Spain) and freshman forward Brian Baek (Fairfax, Va.), who have provided consistent production throughout the season. Fuentes has been a key playmaker and scoring threat, contributing goals from open play and set pieces while helping create opportunities for his teammates. Baek has made an immediate impact in his first collegiate season, finding the back of the net multiple times and giving Norwich another dangerous option in the attacking third for the majority of the season.
Norwich has also received important contributions from across its lineup. Senior captain Nick DePeppe (Colorado Springs, Colo.) has delivered a series of productive performances, including a multi-goal effort during the Cadets' 9-0 win over Vermont State Johnson. Freshman forward Cristian Habiniak (North Branford, Conn.) has added an attacking presence after Baek went down with an injury a few weeks ago, while sophomore midfielder Daniel Hennessey (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) has contributed both goals and assists. Hennessey scored his fourth goal of the season against New England College, finishing a setup from Fuentes to open the scoring in the second half. Hennessey has emerged as the target up top for goal scoring opportunities.
The Cadets' offensive depth was on full display during their September and October winning streaks. Norwich opened the season with a 3-0 victory over Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts before earning conference wins against Elms and Lasell. The team later erupted for nine goals against Vermont State Johnson, with DePeppe and Baek each scoring twice. Norwich followed that performance with a 4-0 shutout of Lasell and a 3-1 victory over Mitchell College, showcasing its ability to generate chances through a variety of attacking options.
Defensively, junior goalkeeper Victor Kalorin (Raleigh, N.C.) has become an important piece of Norwich's postseason push after stepping into the starting role early in the season. Kalorin has provided stability between the woodworks, recording key saves in conference play and helping the Cadets remain competitive in close matches. His performances have included a shutout against Lasell and seven saves, including a penalty-kick stop, during Norwich's narrow loss to Saint Joseph's College of Maine. Kalorin also made four saves in the Cadets' 2-1 victory over Regis College, helping preserve a crucial conference result as Norwich battled for tournament positioning.
The Cadets will need that combination of attacking depth and defensive discipline against an Albertus Magnus team that finished the regular season as the GNAC's No. 2 seed. The Falcons closed conference play with an 8-2-2 record and 26 points, earning the second seed behind top-seeded Emmanuel College. Albertus Magnus has proven difficult to contain throughout the conference schedule, and Norwich will face the challenge of limiting the Falcons' scoring opportunities while converting chances at the other end. Prior to the final game of the season where the Falcons lost to the Saints, they held the top seed for almost the entire season.
The two teams met earlier this season on Sept. 12 at Sabine Field, where Albertus Magnus came away with a 3-2 victory in Norwich's first GNAC contest of the year. The Falcons struck twice in the opening 14 minutes, taking a 2-0 advantage into halftime after capitalizing on free-kick opportunities. Norwich responded with a stronger second-half performance, increasing its attacking pressure and creating chances throughout the final 45 minutes.
Fuentes brought the Cadets within one in the 60th minute, converting a penalty to make it 2-1. Norwich continued to push forward and found the equalizer in the 74th minute when Baek scored from distance, bringing the match level at 2-2 and putting the Cadets in position to complete the comeback.
Albertus Magnus, however, regained the lead in the 79th minute, scoring during a scramble inside the penalty area. Norwich continued to search for another equalizer in the closing minutes, earning late corner kicks and generating additional attempts, but the Falcons held on for the 3-2 win.
Despite the result, Norwich showed that it could create significant attacking opportunities against Albertus Magnus. The Cadets finished the match with an 18-8 advantage in total shots and a 9-4 edge in shots on goal. Fuentes led Norwich with six shots, including three on target, while Baek scored one of the Cadets' two goals. The September meeting provides Norwich with a clear example of the importance of starting quickly, managing set-piece situations, and maintaining defensive organization late in the match.
With a postseason berth secured, Norwich now has an opportunity to turn that earlier result into motivation for the quarterfinal rematch. The Cadets will look to build on their recent performances, rely on their offensive depth, and use Kalorin's presence in goal to challenge the Falcons for a place in the GNAC Semifinals for the second year in a row.
The 2026 GNAC Men's Soccer Championship features eight teams competing in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, Oct. 31. Top-seeded Emmanuel College (9-2-1 GNAC, 28 points) will face No. 8 Regis College (4-6-2, 14 points), while No. 3 Rivier University (8-3-1, 25 points) meets No. 6 Elms College (7-5, 21 points). Defending champion and No. 4 seed University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) (7-1-4, 25 points) will take on No. 5 Saint Joseph's College of Maine (6-0-6, 24 points). Rivier earned the higher seed over Saint Joseph (Conn.) after securing the head-to-head advantage.
The quarterfinal winners will advance to the GNAC Semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 4, with the championship match scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7. The tournament champion will earn the GNAC's automatic qualifier into the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship.
