FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWTON, Mass. – For the second straight contest, junior midfielder Alex Zapata (Hamden, Conn.) scored the game-winning goal to lead the No. 6 seed Albertus Magnus College men's soccer team past No. 2 seed Mount Ida, 3-2, on Wednesday afternoon in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament Semifinals at Alumni Field.
With their second straight post-season road win, the Falcons improve to 11-8 on the year and will face the winner of this evening's tilt between No. 1 seed Johnson & Wales and No. 4 seed Norwich in the GNAC Championship this Saturday. The Mustangs saw their nine-game home winning streak come to end with the setback to drop to 12-6-1 overall.
The Falcons never trailed in the high-scoring affair to avenge a 2-1 setback at Mount Ida earlier this season.
Between the pipes, reigning GNAC Goalkeeper of the Week, Griffin Volta (Orange, Conn.), made seven saves, including three in the second half, to earn his eighth win of the autumn for Albertus Magnus. On the opposite end, sophomore netminder Riley Ford turned aside two shots in a losing effort for Mount Ida.
Albertus Magnus opened the scoring just over 12 minutes into play as junior midfielder Matt Mueller (Cheshire, Conn.) netted his fifth tally of the season. Off a corner from classmate Alexis Garcia (West Haven, Conn.), Mueller connected with his head to send the ball deflecting off the crossbar and bouncing past the goal line. With the high, lofting corner to the far post, Garcia recorded his team-leading fourth assist of the year.
Twenty-Two minutes later, sophomore forward Matt Stoll (Shelton, Conn.) gave the guests a two-goal advantage with his first marker of the fall. He collected a loose ball in traffic in front of Ford and found the back of the net in the 34th minute of play.
Before the end of the first half, Mount Ida stole the momentum away from the Falcons courtesy of goal from freshman midfielder Alexi Flores. Off a deflection in the box, Flores found the ball on his foot and beat Volta for his fifth marker of the season. The goal capped the scoring in the opening half, as the visitors took a 2-1 edge into halftime.
In the 59th minute, Zapata made it a two-goal game once again and gave the Falcons some breathing room with his team-best 10th tally of the year. Sophomore midfielder Justyn Broderick (Orange, Conn.) sent a perfectly placed through ball to Zapata who finished at the far post to make it 3-1 in favor of Albertus.
Just under four minutes later, the Mustangs pulled back within one following strike from senior Carlos Martinez. With Martinez charging in on a breakaway, Volta came off his line and Mount Ida capitalized.
Down the stretch, the Falcons held the hosts at bay to advance to their first GNAC title game since 2012.
The contest was the 13th decided by one goal or less this season for AMC, with the Falcons posting a 7-6 mark in those tilts.
The hosts held a slight, 19-17, advantage in shots and took six corners compared to five for Albertus Magnus. The hard-fought contest saw 26 fouls whistled and four yellow cards handed out.
The win was the 16th in program history in GNAC Tournament play for the Falcons, as the visitors improved to 2-1 against the Mustangs in league tournament action.
Albertus Magnus returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 7, with their sights set on the third GNAC title in program history. The Falcons won the league crown in 1996 and most recently in 2012. Whether the team squares off with JWU or Norwich, AMC will look to avenge a shutout loss. Both squads topped Albertus Magnus, 1-0, in physical games earlier this season.
Courtesy of Albertus Magnus Athletics Communications.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Playing at the Scotts Miracle Gro Athletic Complex has been a major home field advantage for the Johnson & Wales University men's soccer team and it showed on Wednesday against Norwich University. The Wildcats advanced to their third-straight GNAC Championship game with a 4-0 win over the Cadets.
Records:
Johnson & Wales: 16-4
Norwich: 12-7-1
Goalkeepers:
JWU: Nick Tolman, 3 Saves, 0 Goals; Record: 13-4
NU: Stefan Skoff: 6 Saves, 4 Goals; Record: 12-6
JWU Statistical Leaders:
Andrew Vecere: 2 Goals
Tucker MacPherson: 1 Goal
Byrson Arboleda: 1 Goal
The Lead:
Johnson & Wales set school records with its 11th-straight victory and 16th of the season. The Wildcats have also won 20th-straight home game against GNAC opponents.
Of Note:
A nearly air-tight defense was the difference for the Wildcats as they held a 20-8 advantage in shots. Goalkeeper Nick Tolman (Poughkeepsie, NY) continued his strong play. The senior has not given up a goal to a GNAC opponent in 329:29 dating back to the first half of the Anna Maria match. The shutout was his eighth of the season.
The first 20 minutes of the match did not have much firepower until freshman Byron Arboleda (Pawtucket, RI) put back his own rebound in the 22nd minute to put the Wildcats up 1-0. It was his first goal since scoring a hat trick against Anna Maria on October 21. Arboleda has scored a point in seven of his last eight games.
If the Cadets had much hope of a comeback, it was quickly dashed in the first 15 minutes of the second half. Forward Tucker MacPherson (Raymond, NH) scored in the 57th minute when he took a through ball from Xavier Carty (Mt. Vernon, NY) and beat the keeper from nine-yard out on the left. It's the third game in a row the freshman has scored a goal and the seventh in the last eight games. He leads the conference with 14 goals and 35 points.
Rookie Andrew Vecere (Wayne, NJ) put the game away with goals in the 59th and 69th minutes. It was his second multi-goal game of the season. He scored two goals against Emmanuel on October 10. Vecere is tied with Arboleda for second on the team at 27 points.
Scoring four or more goals has equated to a victory for the Wildcats. Johnson & Wales is 81-0 all-time when scoring four or more goals. A lead at half has also been a good omen as JWU has won 29-straight games when leading at intermission.
Coachspeak:
"The defense started from our forward players tonight. In the second half we really organized ourselves in a way that from good defending we had a number of quality attacking opportunities because we picked up balls in the right places and flooded forward. We have a quality group of soccer players that have come together, developed a chemistry and each game it gets a little bit more dynamic and more dangerous. It's fun to watch." -JWU head coach Dave Kulik
Next Game:
Johnson & Wales will play host to Albertus Magnus in the GNAC Championship game at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Wildcats defeated the Falcons, 1-0, to claim the regular season title.
Courtesy of JWU Athletics Communications.
Quarterfinals - Sunday, November 1 | RECAP
Game 1: #1 Johnson & Wales 9, #8 Suffolk 0 | BOX
Game 2: #4 Norwich 1, #5 Emmanuel 0 | BOX
Game 3: #6 Albertus Magnus 2, #3 Saint Joseph's of Maine 1 (OT) | BOX
Game 4: #2 Mount Ida 1, #7 Lasell 0 (OT) | BOX
Semifinals - Wednesday, November 4
Game 5: #1 Johnson & Wales 4, #4 Norwich 0 | BOX
Game 6: #6 Albertus Magnus 3, #2 Mount Ida 2 | BOX
Championship - Saturday, November 7
Game 7: #6 Albertus Magnus at #1 Johnson & Wales - 1:00 PM