New Haven, Conn. – The Albertus Magnus College men's soccer team fell to visiting MCLA, 2-0, on Tuesday evening in non-conference play under the lights at Celentano Field. With the win, the Falcons end the regular season with a 9-8 overall record, while the Trailblazers improve to 5-8-2 with the victory.
MCLA sophomore goalkeeper Kamron Anderson earned the clean sheet, making five saves in each half en route his third shutout of the fall. On the opposite end, sophomore Griffin Volta (Orange, Conn.) turned aside five shots in a losing effort for the hosts.
During the opening half, AMC controlled the possession and tempo early on. Late in the first stanza, Trailblazer sophomore midfielder Christopher Valente connected on header off a corner to give MCLA a 1-0 advantage. Sophomore forward Christopher Shea set the play up nicely with a lofting cross to the far post and Valente converted for his second strike of the season.
Albertus Magnus had their chances in the first half, as sophomore forward Justyn Broderick (Orange, Conn.) had a trio of scoring opportunities. In the 24th minute, senior midfielder Jesse Plona (Trumbull, Conn.) sent Broderick in on a breakaway with a through ball, but the shot attempt was gloved out of the air by Anderson. He also had a shot from the penalty area blocked by a Trailblazer defender in the 19th minute and fired another blast wide of the net.
The visitors threatened to stretch their lead early in the second half, as junior forward Anthony Basile fired a shot from just inside the box that was saved by a diving Volta. In the 74 minute, MCLA broke through to take a 2-0 lead courtesy of a tally from senior midfielder Tyler Vona. Following a cross to the top of the box junior midfielder Edward Boatemg, Vona collected the ball and found the back of the net for the second time this fall.
Down the stretch, the Falcons had several chances in the penalty area off corners, but were unable to break through.
Albertus held a 25-13 advantage in shots and took seven corners compared to four for MCLA. The physical contest saw 32 fouls whistled and one card handed out.
During halftime of the game, the Falcons honored the four members of the senior class for their contributions to the program in their final home game.
Albertus Magnus returns to action on Sunday, November 1, traveling to the Pine Tree State to square off with Saint joseph's in the opening round of the 2015 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tournament. The Falcons will look to avenge a 3-0 setback to the Monks earlier this season and advance to the conference semifinals.
