LIU’s Jaaskelainen ready to go pro

Sharks' striker invited to Major League Soccer showcase

December 6, 2023 John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Emil Jaaskelainen led LIU to the NCAA Tournament last month. Now, he'll show off his talents at this week's MLS College Showcase. Photo courtesy of LIU Athletics

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Long Island University men’s soccer standout Emil Jaaskelainen finished his stint with the Sharks last month with the second-most goals of any active Division I player.

He also helped guide LIU to its second NCAA Tournament in three seasons by scoring the winning goal in the Northeast Conference championship game against Sacred Heart.

The senior from Bolton, England will now get a chance to see if he has what it takes to play professionally in this country.

Jaaskelainen was one of 44 players invited to the adidas Major League Soccer College Showcase, which will run from Wednesday to Saturday in Phoenix, Arizona.

“We’ve got a lot of good players this year. We’ve got guys who can come on and change a game,” Jaaskelainen said following the Sharks’ 1-0 triumph over the Pioneers for the NEC crown in Brookville, N.Y., on Nov. 12.

“We know we can compete with the best colleges around,” the two-time NEC Player of the Year added. “We’re looking forward to it. We’re excited. We’re not nervous. We’ve got nothing to lose. We’ve just got to go all out and hopefully can get a result.”

Jaaskelainen certainly proved he was prepared for the big stage. His 43rd career goal opened the scoring in LIU’s eventual 2-1 loss to host Denver in the first round of the NCAAs.

The four-day MLS College Showcase is “a closed-door scouting event officially sanctioned by the NCAA,” according to the Sharks’ website.

The event will take place ahead of the MLS SuperDraft on Dec. 19, and Jaaskselainen could find himself eligible for selection.

His header goal at Denver on Nov. 16 also gave him 100 career points for the Sharks, who would like to join former St. Francis Brooklyn forward El Mahdi Youssoufi on a list of local college players selected in the MLS SuperDraft.

Youssoufi was picked in the third round in 2022 after being named the 2021 NEC Player of the Year for the now-defunct SFC program.

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Senior guard Ashley Austin scored 15 points and junior Amaya Dowdy added 14 Monday night, but the LIU women’s basketball team suffered an 84-59 loss to Delaware State in front of 400 fans Memorial Hall in Dover, Delaware.

Austin finished 6-of-12 from the field and picked up three steals in a team-high 35 minutes, but the Sharks (1-7) lost their second in a row since their lone win of the campaign, a 60-53 triumph at Hampton on Nov. 25.

LIU senior guard Ashley Austin and the Sharks will visit No. 15 Virginia Tech on Wednesday night. Photo courtesy of LIU Athletics

LIU will return to action Wednesday evening at No. 15 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Coming off last Saturday’s loss at Florida International, the LIU men will be back in the Sunshine State to visit No. 15 Miami Wednesday night in Coral Gables, Florida.

The Sharks (1-7) have also dropped two straight since ending a season-opening five-game losing streak with an 83-68 victory over Texas A&M/Corpus Christi on Nov. 24.

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In Division III hoops action, the Brooklyn College men’s squad wasn’t able to back up its CUNYAC-opening win over John Jay College last Friday at the West Quad Gymnasium despite 15 points from junior guard Malik Dale in Tuesday night’s 75-52 loss to visiting Stevens Institute of Technology.

Dale drilled a trio of 3-pointers and freshman guard and Fort Hamilton High School alum Altin Kujak and junior Serge Thraysbule finished with 12 points apiece for the Bulldogs (1-8, 1-0 CUNYAC), who will be back in action Thursday at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute.

Third-year guard Malik Dale’s 15 points weren’t enough to help Brooklyn College to a second straight win Tuesday at the West Quad Center. Photo courtesy of BC Athletics

The three-time defending CUNYAC champion BC women’s team will shoot for its fourth win in five games Wednesday evening when it hosts Penn State Abington.

The Bulldogs (4-2, 1-0) are coming off Friday’s 74-60 win over visiting John Jay in a rematch of the last two conference championship games.

Junior guard and James Madison High School graduate Alina Estrella amassed 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for BC, which has reeled off 47 consecutive wins against CUNYAC competition.