Stephens Nets Brace as Men's Soccer Drops Non-Conference Match to Bridgewater State

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team battled, but fell at home to Bridgewater State University (BSU), 3-2, during non-conference play Tuesday night on the USJ Soccer Field in West Hartford, Conn. Senior forward Dane Stephens (Linstead, Jamaica) would score a brace for the Blue Jays, but a BSU goal in the final five minutes secured the victory for the visitors. With the result, the Blue Jays move to 0-2-0 on the campaign, while the Bears move to 1-1-0.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• The Blue Jays piled on the pressure offensively early in the match and were rewarded for their efforts at the 10:34 mark. Freshman midfielder Mario Milardo (Middletown, Conn.) picked out a perfect over the top through ball into the path of Stephens, who muscled off a defender and slotted the ball past the BSU goalkeeper to establish a 1-0 USJ lead.
• The Bears generated a clear-cut chance to tie the match at the 20:02 mark, as junior midfielder Filippo Mucci (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) was left open at the top of the six-yard box, but his headed effort was well saved by freshman netminder Will Slayton (Manchester, Conn.) to preserve to 1-0 Blue Jays edge.
• Both teams continued to pepper the opposing teams net as the visitors scored a late equalizer with 20 seconds left in the half via senior midfielder Nicolas Matias (Framingham, Mass.), sending the teams into the locker room deadlocked at 1-1.
• USJ wasted little time to retake the lead in the second half, as Milardo drew a penatly after being brought down in the box at the 54:17 mark. Stephens stepped up to take the spot kick, freezing the BSU goalkeeper to his spot, and rolling the ball into the bottom left corner to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 edge.
• The Bears fought back though, sophomore Hector Bucio (North Easton, Mass.) headed a loose ball after a free kick past Slayton, tying the game at 2-2 with 70:53 on the clock.
• USJ began to look to retake the lead, but it would be the visitors that struck, as Mucci found the back of the net, establishing a 3-2 BSU lead with five minutes left to play.
• The goal would ultimately prove to be the winer, as the Blue Jays could not find an equalizing, securing a 3-2 victory for BSU.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Stephens scored his first goals of the year.
• Milardo notched his first assists of his career.
• Slayton got the start in net for the second consecutive match, picking up the loss (0-1-0) after making two saves.
• The Bears held a slim 18-14 advantage in shots, while the two teams were level with five shots on goal each.
• BSU earned five corner kicks compared to the Blue Jays one.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays round out a three-game homestand to start the 2024 campaign, hosting Wheaton College on Saturday, September 7. Opening kickoff against the Lyons on the USJ Soccer Field in West Hartford is slated for 1:00 p.m.

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