The Hobart College soccer team looks to defend its 2017 Liberty League Tournament title this weekend when it heads north to Canton, N.Y., for the Liberty League semifinals. The Statesmen will take on 2018 regular season champion St. Lawrence at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3, on Sandy MacAllaster Field.
 
Hobart, the No. 4 seed, advanced to the semifinals with a 4-2 victory over Vassar on Tuesday on Boswell Field at David J Urick Stadium. The Statesmen got goals from four different players as they scored twice in the first half and added two more in the second. Junior August Martini scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal off a low line drive free kick from 25-yards out. Senior Alec Kaminer played all 90 minutes in goal for Hobart making four saves.
 
Hobart is 8-7-2 overall this season. The Statesmen are led offensively by sophomores Pete Critchlow and Kyle Mangold. Both players have recorded eight points with Mangold scoring a team-high four goals and Critchlow handing out a team-best four assists. Kaminer has played a majority of the minutes in goal for Hobart. He is 7-7-2 in his 16 appearances with a 0.92 goals against average and a .815 save percentage.
 
The Saints earned a first round bye and hosting rights after winning the Liberty League's regular season crown with a 7-1-1 conference record. St. Lawrence is 11-2-2 overall and ranked 19th in the nation in the latest D3soccer.com poll. The Saints are the Liberty League's top offensive squad scoring two goals per game. St. Lawrence has four players on the team with 10-plus points. Charlton Kelly (7g, 1a) and Brendan McNamee (5g, 5a) lead the Saints with 15 points. Tapshak Augustine has a team-high six assists. The St. Lawrence defense is allowing 0.73 goals per game, second fewest in the Liberty League. Mike Smith has played a majority of the minutes in goal for the Saints. He is 9-2-1 in his 13 appearances with a 0.90 GAA and a .796 save percentage.
 
The two teams met on Sandy MacAllaster Field to conclude the regular season on Oct. 27. St. Lawrence eked out a 2-1 win to claim the regular season crown. Robert Reynolds and Ryan Crouse scored for the Saints while Kyle Patrick got the Hobart goal. Kaminer made four saves in net for the Statesmen while Smith made three saves in goal for St. Lawrence.
 
Saturday's match will be the 63rd meeting between Hobart and St. Lawrence in a series that dates back to 1963. The Saints are 45-15-2 all-time against the Statesmen. Hobart has won three of the last four meetings between the two teams.
 
The winner of Saturday's game will meet the winner of the Ithaca vs RPI match on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in the championship match.
 
Fans who cannot make the trek to the North Country can follow along with Live Stats and Video.