Late Kutllovci Goal Lifts Men's Soccer Past Albertus Magnus, 3-2, In Overtime During GNAC Quarterfinals

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – With a minute and a half left in overtime, senior forward Mergim Kutllovci (Thomaston, Conn.) grabbed a last-second game-winning goal, lifting the fourth-seeded University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team to a dramatic, 3-2, victory over the visiting fifth-seeded Albertus Magnus College (AMC) Falcons in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) quarterfinals match on Saturday night at the USJ Soccer Field in West Hartford, Conn.

GAME INFORMATION 
Score: #4 USJ 3, #5 AMC 2 (2OT)
Records: USJ (11-3-3), AMC (8-6-4) 
Location: USJ Soccer Field (West Hartford, Conn.)
Notes: GNAC Quarterfinals

KEY MOMENTS 

• USJ wasted little time trying to find the games opening goal as junior forward Dane Stephens (Jamaica) forced a point-blank save out of AMC's goalkeeper David Lucero (East Haven, Conn.)
• Stephens wouldn't miss his next opportunity, giving USJ the lead in the eighth minute. Senior midfielder Elijah Rowland (Hartford, Conn.) worked the ball down the left flank, before cutting a pass into the feet of Stephens. The forward would turn his defender before curling a beautiful strike into the right side of the net, giving the hosts the early edge.
• Stephens nearly added a second in the 11th minute, but Lucero would come up big for the Falcons, preventing USJ from adding onto its lead. The freshman goalkeeper's offense would reward his efforts in the 19th minute with a corner kick opportunity. Senior Kelvin Cortez (Meriden, Conn.) whipped in the corner, finding the head of junior Gabriel Paglia (Amity, Conn.) inside a crowded six-yard box, who's header bounced off the underside of the crossbar and in, tying the match at 1-1.
• The Blue Jays would not be deterred, regaining the lead in the 31st minute. Stephens got on the end of a through ball down the left side before being taken out inside the box, earning a penalty kick for USJ. Graduate student DeAnte Anderson (Bloomfield, Conn.) stepped up to take the spot quick, calmly sending Lucero the wrong way and regaining the lead for USJ, 2-1.
• The Falcons quickly tried to level the match back up in the 35th minute, but junior goalkeeper Jose Miguel Garcia Martin (Madrid, Spain), recorded a beautiful diving save to his right, redirecting an AMC strike off the post and out, maintaining the score line.
• Neither team would muster a goal-scoring opportunity in the remaining portion of the first half, as USJ entered the halftime break up, 2-1.
• The game would instantly see the momentum flip in AMC's direction as sophomore Jin Chen (China) was shown a second yellow card in the 49th minute, resulting in a red card, sending the Blue Jays down to 10 men for the remainder of the match.
• AMC took full advantage of the extra man, finding the equalizer in the 59th minute. Senior Anthony Barreira (Trumbull, Conn.) ran down the left flank before passing the ball into senior Ben Pierce (Meriden, Conn.). Pierce took a quick touch before firing past the outrushing Garcia Martin, leveling the score at 2-2.
• The game would go quiet after the equalizing goal as USJ tried to fend off the Falcon's attack. Anderson would muster a chance late in the 84th minute but would be denied by Lucero as the game headed for overtime tied at 2-2.
• In the opening period of overtime, both the Blue Jays and Falcon's looked to put the game away. Stephens worked a great chance in the 92nd minute, only to be stopped by a great save from Lucero. Cortez tried his luck for AMC in the 95th minute, but Garcia Martin came up equal, denying the Falcons from taking the lead.
• Neither team could find the go-ahead goal in the first 10 minutes of overtime, as the match remained tied at 2-2 heading into the final overtime period.
• The game would be brought down to 10v10 after Lucero was shown a straight red card in the 101st minute for a reckless challenge outside of the box, denying a clear goal scoring opportunity.
• Luke Thomas (Stamford, Conn.) would replace Lucero in goal, but quickly had to be taken out because of an injury, seeing Andres Diosa (Cheshire, Conn.) play in net for the Falcons.
• The Blue Jays quickly took advantage of the new goalkeeper, peppering shots on target. Kutllovci would ultimately find the game-winner in the 109th minute. Stephens would play a free kick into the feet of Kutllovci, who spun around his defender, firing his strike into the bottom left corner, giving the Blue Jays a 3-2 lead.
• The Falcons were reduced to nine men with 30 seconds left after Declan Ryan (Hamden, Conn.) was shown a straight red card, solidifying the Blue Jays victory, 3-2, in overtime.

QUOTABLE 

"A colossal performance from our players today. Going down to 10 players with so much time left in the game really challenged our endurance and resilience. The support we had tonight from out student body, faculty, staff, and player's families really helped us achieve a remarkable result. I don't believe we could have accomplished it without them," said head coach Paul Wright. 

NOTES 

• Stephens scored his seventh goal of the year, while Anderson netted his 10th and Kuttlovci scored his sixth.
• Rowland dished out his third assists of the year.
• Garcia Martin tallied two saves on the night, improving to 8-3-2 on the year.
• The Blue Jays outshot the falcons, 21-13, including an 11-4 edge in shots on goal.
• USJ also had the advantage in corner kicks, 6-3.
• Albertus Magnus committed 27 fouls, compared to the Blue Jays 11.
• USJ increased its lead in the all-time series to 4-2-1 with the victory.
• The Blue Jays have now defeated the Falcons in the last three consecutive GNAC postseason tournaments.

UP NEXT 

The Blue Jays will head to top-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine for the GNAC Semifinals on Wednesday, November 2. Kickoff against the Monks is still to be determined.

FOLLOW
For the latest on University of Saint Joseph Athletics, follow the Blue Jays on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Fans can also download the USJ Front Row Mobile App and subscribe to our Newsletter and Text Alerts. #FearTheFlock #GoBlueJays