Men's Soccer Blanks Rivals Albertus Magnus, 2-0, Saturday Night

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team maintained its unbeaten start to the 2023 campaign, taking down conference rivals Albertus Magnus College (AMC), 2-0, on the road during a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match Saturday night on Celentano Field in New Haven, Conn. With the result, the Blue Jays move to 6-0-1 overall and 4-0-1 in conference play while the Falcons drop to 4-1-3 overall and 3-1-2 in the GNAC.

KEY MOMENTS 

• The game opened as a battle of the midfield, as neither team could generate a clear-cut chance inside the opening 15 minutes.
• USJ would start to test the Falcons back line, as senior forward Dane Stephens (Linstead, Jamaica) and senior midfielder Juan Torres (Hartford, Conn.) fired off shots, forcing the AMC goalkeeper David Lucero into making stops.
• The Blue Jays continued to look for the opening goal and were rewarded for their efforts at the 30:56 mark as Stephens cut inside from the left flank, curling a strike off the right post and into the goal, giving USJ a 1-0 edge.
• USJ would be gifted a golden opportunity to double the lead at the 36-minute mark, as sophomore midfielder Jason Moleiro (Rocky Hill, Conn.) was brought down inside the box, winning a penalty kick for USJ.
• Graduate student midfielder Michael Torres (Hartford, Conn.) would step up to take the kick, but Lucero guessed the right way, stopping the penalty before making an incredible reaction save off the rebound to preserve the 1-0 score.
• AMC looked to find the equalizer late, generating two good chances, but junior goalkeeper El Hadji Anne (Bronx, N.Y.) made two comfortable saves to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 edge entering the halftime break.
• Both teams would generate chances in the opening quarter of an hour after the break, but neither the Blue Jays or Falcons would test the opposing goalkeepers, as USJ maintained a 1-0 edge.
• The Blue Jays generated a great chance moments later, as Juan Torres played a great one-two with senior midfielder Anthony Delacruz (East Hartford, Conn.), but Delacruz's shot from a tough angle just missed wide right of the net.
• AMC nearly found the leveler at the 65:50 mark as some miscommunication at the back enabled Kris Bocchio to get off a shot, but Anne would make the stop and see the rebounded effort sail wide as USJ kept hold of its 1-0 edge.
• Delacruz nearly doubled the lead in the 69^th minute after USJ took a quick free-kick, but his long range strike sailed just high of the goal.
• Juan Torres would try his luck after receiving a perfect ball in from Stephens, but his shot from the penalty spot was well stopped by Lucero at the 73:43 mark.
• USJ would finally be rewarded for their efforts finding the back of the net as Michael Torres picked out a pass to Moleiro on the left flank, who cut the ball back across goal to sophomore forward Emmanuel Ofori (East Hartford, Conn.), who picked out the bottom left corner to extend the gap to 2-0 at the 77:46 mark.
• The goal would prove to be enough as the Blue Jays held on for the 2-0 victory.

NOTES 

• The goal was the fourth of the year for Stephens and Ofori.
• Moleiro dished out his first assist in a USJ uniform.
• USJ held a 15-10 edge in shots.
• The Falcons drew seven corner kicks, compared to USJ's five.
• Anne tallied three saves to keep his second shutout of the year, moving to 5-0-1.
• With the result, the Blue Jays extended its lead in the all-time series to 5-2-1.
• The seven-match unbeaten start to the season is the best start to a season in program history.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays round out a three-game road trip by making a stop in Newton, Mass. for a matchup against the Lasell Lasers on Wednesday, September 27. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. on Taylor Field.

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