HENNIKER, N.H. – The New England College men's soccer team fell in their conference opener to visiting Albertus Magnus in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Saturday afternoon at Don Melander Field in Henniker, New Hampshire.
THE BASICS
Score: Albertus Magnus 4, New England College 0
Records: Falcons 1-0-1, 0-0-0 GNAC | Pilgrims 0-2-0, 0-1-0 GNAC
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Falcons got on the board early in the 10th minute when Gabriel Paglia (Amity, Conn.) got by the NEC defense and snuck a shot into the bottom right corner of the Pilgrim net. In the 19th minute, it was again Albertus Magnus who would capitalize on the offensive side of the field. Johan Stagnaro (East Hartford, Conn.) received a pass at the top of the box and lasered a shot in the top of the net to take the 2-0 lead.
- Just before halftime, the visitors would turn an Aiden Coelho (Naugatuck, Conn.) corner kick into a third goal as Lorenzo Lauria (New Haven, Conn.) finished off a header goal to bring a three-goal deficit into the break.
- In the 53rd minute the Falcons would strike again, as EJ Gonzalez (Cheshire, Conn.) received a free kick from Elian Nava (Meriden, Conn.) and got it past the NEC keeper for the team's fourth goal of the game.
- The Pilgrims were just inches away from scoring in the 70th minute as a penalty shot from sophomore midfielder Santiago Sanchez (Guatemala City, Guatemala) hit the right post and was eventually cleared by the Falcon defense. In the 85th minute, the 'Grims had another great scoring chance when junior forward Noel Huliselan (Jakarta, Indonesia) attacked a loose ball in front of the net, but the Albertus goalkeeper denied the shot to preserve the shutout.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Albertus' starting goalie David Lucero (East Haven, Conn.) played 75 minutes for the visitors and made five saves.
- Senior goalkeeper Hayden Walker (Manchester, N.H.) started and played the first half for the 'Grims, making three saves. Sophomore goalkeeper Lukas Tate (South Jordan, Utah) relieved Walker in the second half, stopping two shots in his first action of the season.
- Despite the lopsided score, shots and opportunities between the two teams were close. Albertus had nine shots on goal while NEC had six, and the Pilgrims had seven corners as opposed to just three for the Falcons.
UP NEXT
- NEC is back on the field on Tuesday, September 10th, when they host Fitchburg State University at the Don with a 7:00 PM start time.
- Albertus Magnus plays their next game on Wednesday, September 11th, at Hartford University.
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