NORTHEAST REGION ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE RELEASE
The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is proud to announce that the Northeast Region has released their schedule for the upcoming 2018 season. The Northeast Region consists of three conferences: Keystone, Mid-Atlantic, and North Atlantic.
Regular season play in the Keystone Conference begins on Wednesday, May 9th and ends on Saturday, July 7th. Each club plays ten matches, five home and five away.
“The teams in the Keystone Conference are chomping at the bit, with so many perennial powerhouses, and the addition of, what will undoubtedly prove to be two quality sides in FC Monmouth and Atlantic City FC, the race for a conference championship and a run at an NPSL national title will be a fierce one.” New Jersey Copa FC General Manager and Keystone Conference Liaison Steve Lengen commented. “The side that no one sees though, is the fantastic group of owners and managers and how well they have worked together to set this season up as one for the records. It’s an honor to work with and represent a conference that really embodies the NPSL mantra: We compete for 90 minutes on the field… We are business partners always.”
The top four seeds in the Keystone will qualify for the playoffs. The top four seeds (#4 at #1, #3 at #2) will play on Wednesday, July 11th. The top remaining seed will host the conference final on Saturday, July 14th.
Regular season play in the Mid-Atlantic Conference begins on Saturday, May 12th and ends on Saturday, July 7th. Each club plays ten matches, five home and five away.
“We are excited to announce the 2018 NPSL Northeast Region schedule,” NPSL Board Member and Virginia Beach City FC Owner Steven Wagoner added. “Specifically, in the Mid-Atlantic Conference we have added clubs in three key markets, extended regular season league play, and scheduled friendly matches, giving our fans more competitive games. We are thankful for the continued support from our local soccer communities and team owners to help grow the game in the United States.”
One of those friendlies will have Virginia Beach City FC playing against the D.C. United U-23 team on Sunday, June 3rd.
The top three teams in the Mid-Atlantic advance to the postseason. The #1 seed receives a bye in the first round, while the #2 seed hosts the #3 seed in the conference semifinal on Wednesday, July 11th. The winner of the conference semifinal plays at the #1 seed in the conference final on Saturday, July 14th.
Regular season play in the North Atlantic Conference begins on Saturday, May 5th and ends on Saturday, July 7th. Each of the conference’s 11 clubs will play ten matches, five home and five away.
“We’re excited about combining the North Atlantic back into one conference,” NPSL Board Member and Kingston Stockade Chairman Dennis Crowley continued. “There are so many great teams in the North Atlantic and this year’s schedule gives each team the chance to play against everyone in the conference.”
The top four seeds in the North Atlantic will qualify for the playoffs. The top four seeds (#4 at #1, #3 at #2) will play on Wednesday, July 11th. The top remaining seed will host the conference final on Saturday, July 14th.
“There is both trepidation and excitement as we enter the 2018 NPSL season as defending champions,” Elm City Express General Manager Brian Neumeyer concluded. “Most of the apprehension lies in our conference opposition. Having played last year in one of the strongest conferences and region prepared us for the postseason run that we had. We are looking forward to another challenging inter-conference season and the revised structure of playing a full table which allows for us to play teams that we did not meet last year.”
The three conference champions and a wild card team will go to the regional semifinals on Wednesday, July 18th. The wild card team will be one of the three conference finalists with the highest points per game (PPG) average during regular season. The highest seeds, based on PPG, will host on July 18th, and then the higher seed of the remaining winners will host the regional final on Saturday, July 21st.
