West Hartford, Conn. – Senior Taylor Rotella (Milford, Conn.) scored two second-half goals to lead the Albertus Magnus College women's soccer team past in-state rival St. Joseph (Conn.), 4-2, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Monday afternoon at the University of St. Joseph Soccer Field.
The Falcons (7-6-1, 5-2-1 GNAC) erased a one-goal halftime deficit with four second-half markers to earn their third straight conference victory and avenged a 2-1 overtime setback to the Bluejays (5-7-1, 3-4-1 GNAC) in the Elm City last fall.
During the first half, AMC threatened early as junior Angelina Piccirillo (Naugatuck, Conn.) fired a shot off the crossbar. Prior to Piccirillo's bid, the hosts fired a pair of shots on goal that were turned aside by Falcon sophomore goalkeeper Lexie Fenn (Oakville, Conn.) to keep the game scoreless.
Late in the first stanza, the Bluejays got on the board as Shelby Tallman scored on a rebound off a free kick taken by Jessica Spezzano from 30 yards out. Tallman's tally was her first of the year and gave USJ a 1-0 edge heading into halftime.
The Falcons knotted the score at one just over a minute into the second half as junior Amanda Montano (North Haven, Conn.) potted her second marker of the season. On a great individual effort, Montano fired a shot from 25 yards out with her left foot into the upper 90.
Albertus Magnus took its first lead of the day in the 59th minute courtesy off a goal from sophomore Kerrigan Loughman (Trumbull, Conn.). Loughman's second of the season came on a free kick that hit the crossbar and ricochted in from 30 yards out.
Five minutes later, St. Joseph tied the contest at two as Morgan Skoly scored her fifth marker of the season off a feed from Olivia Norton.
Rotella broke through for her first of the day in the 72nd minute to give the guests a 3-2 advantage. The tally put the Falcons ahead for good and was the eventual game-winner. Rotella's game-winner was the second of her career. The goal came off a corner from Loughman and beat the USJ keeper high.
In the 83rd minute, Rotella gave the guests some breathing room with a blast from midfield. The long ball was played down towards the goal, bounced over the head of the Bluejays keeper and into the back of the net for the insurance goal.
Fenn continued her strong play for the Falcons, making five saves to earn her seventh victory of the season.
The Bluejays held a slight, 16-15, advantage in shots and the visitors took nine corners compared to just two for the hosts.
Albertus Magnus returns to action on Saturday, October 15, with a road conference showdown versus Johnson & Wales in the Ocean State that is slated to begin at noon. The Falcons are looking to avenge a 3-1 loss to the Wildcats in New Haven last October.
For the latest information on the women's soccer team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
