NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The fourth-seeded Albertus Magnus College men's soccer team suffered a 4-0 loss to the fifth-seeded University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer Tournament on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Celentano Field. The Blue Jays earned the win behind three second-half goals, all coming in a seven-minute stretch.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: St. Joseph (Conn.) 4 | Albertus Magnus 0
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (10-5-1) | St. Joseph (Conn.) (12-4-1)
BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED
The first half was tightly contested as each team had to fight for chances to score early on. Junior Kelvin Cortez (Meriden, Conn.) recorded the home squad's first chance, sending one towards the goal, that the opposing keeper was able to get a toe on and turn away.

Albertus had another prime opportunity in the 15th minute when graduate student Abdoul Aremu (West Haven, Conn.) had two chances right on the crease. Unfortunately for the Falcons, both shots were stopped, one by a defender and one by the goalie, to keep the score tied 0-0.

Despite playing on their back foot to start the contest, the Blue Jays took the first lead in the 31st minute. After earning a free-kick from just outside the box, Juan Torres wrapped a shot around the left side of the wall that snuck inside the left post for the 1-0 advantage.

Neither team did much over the final 15 minutes of the half, sending USJ into halftime up 1-0. Despite trailing, Albertus outshot the visitors by a 7-5 margin.

The second half started tightly contested, just like the first, with each team trading possession for the first 22 minutes. Then, in the 77th minute, the game flipped, as the visitors cashed in on a penalty kick to go ahead 2-0.

USJ continued to press with a two-goal advantage, scoring two more times over the following seven minutes to secure the 4-0 victory.

In goal for the Falcons, Garfield Robinson (West Haven, Conn.) concluded his junior season with six saves on 10 shots on goal. His six saves tied a season-high, a mark that he has reached three times this year.

BETWEEN THE PIPES
Albertus: Garfield Robinson (L, 9-5-1): 10 Shots on Goal | 4 Goal-Against | 6 Saves
St. Joseph (Conn.): Jose Miguel Garcia Martin (W, 6-3-1): 6 Shots on Goal | 0 Goals-Against | 6 Saves

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• St. Joseph held the slight edge in shots, outshooting the Falcons by a 13-12 margin.
• The Blue Jays also held the advantage in corner kicks, 6-5.
• USJ made seven saves to the Falcons' six.
• Albertus was whistled for 15 fouls, while the Blue Jays were called for 12.

NOTEWORTHY

• Today's contest marked the fifth time the Falcons and Blue Jays have squared off all-time.
• The Blue Jays hold the edge with a 3-2 all-time record.
• The Blue Jays are now 0-2 against the Falcons in the postseason. 
• Aremu and Cortez led the offensive attack with four shots each. 
• Allan Fernandez (Ansonia, Conn.), Anthony Barreira (Trumbull, Conn.), Carlos Lopez (Bridgeport, Conn.), and Arain Bobi (Amity, Conn.) also contributed a shot each for the Falcons. 
• Robinson tied a season-high with six saves.