#5 Men's Soccer Slips to #4 Saint Joseph (CT), 1-0, in GNAC Quarterfinal

Photo Credit: Kayla Gosselin
Photo Credit: Kayla Gosselin

West Hartford, Conn. - Freshman midfielder Michael Torres netted the game-winning goal in the 89th minute to lift the fourth-seeded University of Saint Joseph (CT) past the fifth-seeded Albertus Magnus College men's soccer team, 1-0, in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament at USJ Soccer Field Saturday afternoon.

THE BASICS
FINAL: #4 Saint Joseph (CT) 1 | #5 Albertus Magnus 0
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (9-9-1) | Saint Joseph (CT) (12-5-1)
BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams headed into the locker room evened at 0-0, despite Saint Joseph (CT) outshooting the Falcons, 7-5, in the opening stanza.

In the 21st minute, the Falcons were awarded a free kick from about 35 yards out following a foul on the hosts. The ball was sent into the Blue Jays net, but not before the first of two offside calls saved a goal.

The Blue Jays keeper kept Albertus at bay for the remainder of the stanza as John Griffin made three great saves in net against the Falcons' top offensive line. 

In the second half both teams remained deadlock in the early going, but Albertus continued to garner opportunities on offense. In the 57th minute, Salah Oumorou (West Haven, Conn.) launched another shot from the left side after tricky-dribbling past two defenders, but the Blue Jays keeper made an impressive save, but an Albertus player was right there to tap the ball into the net. The goal was called back for a second time though, as officials believed he was offsides.

Shortly after, the momentum shifted towards the Blue Jays as the hosts rattled off seven shots, including five on target. With less than a minute to go in regulation, Torres received the ball off a deflection from an attempted shot by DeAnte Anderson, who hoisted the ball into the top left portion of the cage to break the tie.

Freshman keeper Garfield Robinson (West Haven, Conn.) defended the pipes for Albertus registering a season-high 10 saves. 

Griffin finished the day with six saves and earned his second shutout of the season for the Blue Jays.

BETWEEN THE PIPES

  • Albertus - Garfield Robinson (L, 6-7-1): 11 Shots on Goal | 1 Goals-Against | 10 Saves
  • Saint Joseph (CT) - John Griffin (W, 7-4-1): 6 Shots on Goal | 0 Goals-Against | 6 Saves

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

  • The Blue Jays owned a 19-10 advantage in shots, including an 11-7 lead in shots on goal.
  • USJ also won the battle in corner kicks, 7-3.
  • Torres accounted for the lone goal of the afternoon as well as led the hosts in shots with five.
  • Abdoul Aremu (West Haven, Conn.), Oumorou and Carlos Lopez (Bridgeport, Conn.) finished the day with two shots each.
  • Both Oumorou and Lopez led the Falcons in shots on goal with two. 
  • Anderson accounted for four of the Blue Jays 19 shot attempts.