Men’s Soccer Downs Albertus Magnus in Tight GNAC Battle, 2-1

BOSTON, Mass. -Sophomore forward Alec Erskine (Coventry, Conn.) scored his team-leading ninth goal of the year to break a 1-1 tie and power the Emmanuel College men’s soccer team past Albertus Magnus College, 2-1, Wednesday evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action at Roberto Clement Field.

Men’s Soccer Downs Albertus Magnus in Tight GNAC Battle, 2-1
Video Box Score

Team Stats

October 16, 2019

THE BASICS 

Score:             
Emmanuel College, 2; Albertus Magnus College, 1
Records:         
Emmanuel College Saints (7-6, 4-3 GNAC)
Albertus Magnus College Falcons (7-6-1, 4-3 GNAC)
Location:         
Boston, Mass. – Clemente Field
Date:               
Wednesday, October 16, 2019

THE LEAD:  Sophomore forward Alec Erskine (Coventry, Conn.) scored his team-leading ninth goal of the year to break a 1-1 tie and power the Emmanuel College men's soccer team past Albertus Magnus College, 2-1, Wednesday evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action at Roberto Clement Field.

HOW IT HAPPENED  

  • The Saints got on the board in the 10th minute of play with the help of an Albertus Magnus miscue. Deep in the Falcon's territory, Erskine played a diagonal ball into the penalty area and the cross deflected off an AMC defender and into the back of the net for an own goal to put the hosts on top, 1-0.
  • Albertus had an excellent opportunity to tie the match in the 36th minute as junior forward Salah Oumorou (West Haven, Conn.) took a free kick from just outside the Emmanuel 18-yard box. The kick bent around the Saints' wall and looked destined for the upper corner of the goal before sophomore keeper Vincent Conelli (West Hartford, Conn.) made an acrobatic diving save to his right to help the Saints hold on the 1-0 lead into halftime.
  • The Falcons wasted little time in the second stanza to net the equalizer as freshman forward Michael Hidalgo (Norwalk, Conn.) created some space for himself with a few touches centrally to free up enough room to fire a shot from the top corner of the box and find the upper-90 of the goal for his second tally of the year to even the score at 1-1 at the 50:41 marker.
  • Erskine put Emmanuel ahead for good less than 10 minutes later for the game-winner. The Saints had had a direct kick from 45 yards out, sending a lofted ball into the Falcons' box. A failed clear deflected off the head of sophomore Kyle Monaghan (Monson, Mass.) who flicked the ball on to Erskine who charged forward to deposit his goal into the opposite corner to make it 2-1 with a little over 30 minutes to play in regulation.
  • Conelli and the Emmanuel back four were able to make the one-goal lead hold up to preserve the 2-1 GNAC victory at Clemente Field.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

  • The Falcons outshot the Saints in the affair by a 15-9 margin as Oumorou led the way with six shots and landing three on frame.
  • Conelli made four saves to earn his fourth victory of the year between the pipes to improve to 4-3 overall while AMC freshman keeper Garfield Robinson (West Haven, Conn.) stopped three saves in the loss and now stands at 4-4-1 on the year.
  • Albertus still holds the all-time series lead with the Saints by a slim margin after the loss, now standing at 8-7-4 all-time vs. Emmanuel.
  • Erskine's nine goals currently ranks fourth all-time for goals in a single-season at Emmanuel while his 20 cumulative points on the year rank fifth all-time for points in a campaign.

UP NEXT

  • Both sides return to GNAC action this Saturday, October 19 as the Saints host Saint Joseph's College (ME) at 12:00 PM while the Falcons welcome Colby-Sawyer College to New Haven, Conn. for their homecoming match at 4:00 PM.