New Haven, Conn. – The Albertus Magnus College men's soccer dropped a 1-0 decision versus Suffolk on Saturday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action at Celentano Field.
The Falcons (2-2) see their two-game home winning streak come to an end, while the visiting Rams (1-2) avenged a 4-0 setback against AMC last autumn in Boston.
On a hot and humid day, both teams saw players shuffle in and out of the contest due to fatigue.
Suffolk senior forward Alberto Bittan broke a scoreless contest in the 65th minute with his conference-leading sixth goal of the fall. Bittan got free in the middle of the field and fired a shot from outside the 18 past the outstretched arms of Albertus Magnus sophomore goalkeeper Joe Russo (North Haven, Conn.).
The unassisted strike proved to be the difference in the game as the Ram backline anchored by sophomore netminder Kyle Van Cleef kept the hosts off the board.
In the opening half, neither team was able to break through and the two sides entered the break tied. Albertus Magnus had a pair of scoring chances during the opening 45 minutes as junior forward Justyn Broderick (Orange, Conn.) was sent in on a breakaway, but his shot was turned aside by Van Cleef. Later in the frame, Falcon senior midfielder Ben Colter (Guilford, Conn.) took a pair of free kicks from midfield that were both snagged out of the air by Van Cleef as well.
In the second half, Russo kept the Falcons in the game with five stops. Two of which were on uncontested shots inside the box.
In the net, Russo made seven saves in a losing effort. On the opposite end, Van Cleef turned aside all four shots he faced to earn his first clean sheet and win of the year.
The guests controlled possession for a majority of the game and held a 14-6 advantage in shots. The Rams took eight corner compared to six for the hosts.
The physical contest saw 28 fouls called and a pair of yellow cards handed out.
Albertus Magnus returns to action on Monday, September 12, with a home non-conference contest versus Hunter that is slated to begin at 7:00 pm. The tilt marks the first-ever meeting between the Falcons and the Hawks.
For the latest information on the men's soccer team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
