NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College men's soccer team lost a close battle to the Monks of Saint Joseph's College of Maine, 2-1, on Saturday afternoon during Homecoming Weekend. Kelvin Cortez (Meriden, Conn.) scored the lone goal for the Falcons in the contest.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: St. Joseph's (Me.) 2 | Albertus Magnus 1
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (8-4-1, 6-2-1 GNAC) | St. Joseph (10-1-2, 9-0 GNAC)
BOX SCORE
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Falcons struck first, just 28 seconds into the opening half. Arian Bobi (Amity, Conn.) took control of the ball and sent it to the right side of the box, where Cortez was waiting. Cortez fired the ball between the keeper's legs, giving the Falcons a 1-0 advantage.
Albertus continued to pile on the pressure, firing off another shot and a corner kick in the first two minutes. The Monks were not deterred, however, playing solid defense to keep the deficit at one. The Monks ripped off two shots in the 18th minute, with the last one from Austin Ward slipping past the fingertips of the Falcons' goaltender, Garfield Robinson (West Haven, Conn.), to knot the score at 1-all.
The teams continued to battle for the ball for the next eight minutes before Cortez was awarded a penalty kick. The Monks' goalie saved the shot before Saint Joseph's took control and took off up the pitch, with Ward firing a shot past Robinson for his second goal of the match to make it a 2-1 contest.
The Falcons and Monks would trade shots for the remainder of the half, but neither could find the back of the net, and the teams transitioned into the halftime break, with the Monks holding a 2-1 advantage.
The second half featured a defensive battle, as neither program was able to gain any momentum offensively. Both the Falcons and the Monks tallied five shots in the second half, but neither team could push across a score. Finally, with the clock ticking down to its final minutes, the Falcons ripped off a corner kick and a pair of shots but could not tally the tying score, and the match ended in a 2-1 Saint Joseph's victory.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Albertus: Garfield Robinson (8-4-1): 6 Shots on Goal | 2 Goals-Against | 4 Saves
St. Joseph's: David Walbridge (9-1-2): 5 Shots on Goal | 1 Goal-Against | 4 Saves
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- The Monks outshot the Falcons by a 12-9 margin.
- Albertus held the edge in corner kicks, 5-2.
- The Falcons were whistled for one more foul than the Monks, 11-10.
- Both teams recorded four saves in the contest.
NOTEWORTHY
- The Falcons are 8-9 all-time against the Monks.
- Cortez scored his third goal in the last three bouts.
- The Falcons had seven different players record shots in the match.
- Bobi recorded his third career assist in the contest.
UP NEXT
The men's soccer team will return to the pitch on Wednesday, Oct. 20, for a GNAC showdown against Regis (Mass.) at 4:30 p.m.
