One goal was enough as the Johnson and Wales Wildcats slipped past the Albertus Magnus men's soccer team 1-0 on Wednesday evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinal action of the league tournament.
The Falcons, who finish the 2013 season with a 6-10-2 overall record, battled their way into the semifinals after a 1-0 upset victory over second-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Sunday, Nov. 3. With the win, the Wildcats improved to an impressive 14-1-5 on the year and will play in the GNAC Championship game on Sunday at Lasell College.
In the 43rd minute of play, JWU's Kyle Metz connected on his own rebounded shot to score the eventual game winner. Metz drilled a shot at net but senior Donato Piroscafo (Naugatuck, Conn.) batted the ball away from the goal line before Metz connected on the rebound to put the Wildcats ahead 1-0.
The Wildcats outshot the Falcons 10-6 in the first half. As the first half came to a close Piroscafo made three great saves to keep the game scoreless before Metz scored.
With a scoreless second frame, JWU came away with the 1-0 victory. Piroscafo finished the contest with four saves, while the Wildcats' Ryan Dzierzawski made seven stops for his second-straight shutout.
The Falcons are now 1-3 all-time against JWU in GNAC Tournament action.
