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Le Moyne College Athletics

msocHenne
Greg Wall
2
Le Moyne LEM (9-6, 6-5 NE10)
3
Winner New Haven UNH (7-5-2, 4-4-2 NE10)
Le Moyne LEM
(9-6, 6-5 NE10)
2
Final
3
New Haven UNH
(7-5-2, 4-4-2 NE10)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Le Moyne LEM 0 2 2
New Haven UNH 1 2 3

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | James McGlynn, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

MEN'S SOCCER LATE COMEBACK FALLS SHORT, NEW HAVEN WINS 3-2

West Haven, Conn. - The Le Moyne College men's soccer team mounted a furious late-game comeback on Saturday night on the road at University of New Haven, clawing back from a 3-0 deficit with two goals in the final ten minutes of the match, but they were unable to complete the comeback and ultimately fell 3-2 to the Chargers at Kathy Zolad Stadium. 

New Haven went on a quick counter attack in the seventh minute following a Le Moyne free kick. The ball was carried up the left sideline and passed to first year forward Pau Santanach a few yards outside the top of the 18-yard box. Santanach turned and sent a pass to Imanol Ruiz, who was wide open on the right side of the field. Ruiz took one touch towards goal and from inside the Le Moyne penalty area ripped a shot with his right foot that got past goalkeeper Josh Mahr (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) and found the bottom left side of the net to give New Haven an early 1-0 lead. 

The Dolphins were unable to get a shot on goal in the first half, and went into the halftime break facing a 1-0 deficit.

In the 61st minute New Haven earned a free kick at the edge of their attacking third in the middle-right portion of the field. The ball was sent into the box and headed high in the air by a Le Moyne defender. At the top of the box a New Haven player headed it to the left side of the penalty area. The ball was brought down by Francisco Guedes and played over the defense to the far post. Frantz Innocent Jr. received the pass and his first touch was towards goal. Mahr stepped to his left to challenge Innocent Jr., but he crossed the ball with his right foot across the face of the goal to Santanach, who knocked it into the empty net to increase the New Haven lead to 2-0. 

New Haven goalkeeper Themis Kastoris caught the ball following a Le Moyne free kick in the 70th minute and quickly punted the ball up field. The line drive punt from Kastoris bounced in the Le Moyne half and sent Santanach on a breakaway towards goal. Barreling down the left side of the pitch, Santanach dribbled into the Le Moyne penalty area, and chipped the ball with his left foot over Mahr who had come off his line to challenge him, and into the back of the net to give the Chargers a 3-0 lead.

The Dolphins offense came alive in the final thirty minutes of the match. Jack Goodrich (Kelsall, England/King's School Chester) and Joe Falcone (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) both put a shot on goal between the 72nd and 75th minute, but both times Kastoris made the save to keep his clean sheet alive.

With 8:30 left in the match, Falcone dribbled across midfield along the right touchline and sent a pass across the pitch to Brett Stern (Lockport, N.Y/Newfane/Duquesne). Stern got the ball at the edge of the Le Moyne attacking third in the middle-left portion of the field. His defender began to retreat, so the graduate forward took two quick dribbles forward and from about 25 yards out ripped a shot on the ground with his right foot. The ball was hit right at Kastoris, but took a short hop in front of him. The keeper dropped to the ground to scoop up the shot, but the ball bounced off his chest and rolled in front of him. Le Moyne forward Noah Sperduto (Elmira, N.Y./Elmira) sprinted in for the rebound, and in Kastoris' attempt to recover and grab the ball, the first year keeper made contact with Sperduto's lower half, and the referee awarded the Dolphins a penalty kick. Redshirt-junior Tom Henne (Hamburg, Germany/Gymnasium Buckhorn) stepped up to take the kick. Henne took his shot right down the middle; Kastoris dove to his left and Henne scored his second goal of the season to get the Dolphins on the board.

With under three minutes remaining in the second half defender Patrick Strauss (Lakewood, Ohio/St. Ignatius) disrupted the Chargers attack and won the ball back for Le Moyne in their own half. Henne got the ball, quickly turned up the pitch and from half field sent a through ball to Falcone making a run up the middle-right portion of the field. The pass put Falcone in on a breakaway, and forced Kastoris to charge off his line to contest him. Falcone dribbled into the New Haven penalty area, and just before Kastoris got to him, the graduate midfielder chipped the ball with his right foot over the oncoming Kastoris and the ball rolled past the goal line to trim the Le Moyne deficit to 3-2. 

Le Moyne pushed for the equalizing goal in the final two minutes, and in the final seconds of the match Josh Doback (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) sent a long ball into the box as a last ditch effort to complete the improbable comeback from down 3-0, but Kastoris rose above the crowd in the New Haven 18-yard box, caught the ball and held on to it as the clock ran out to earn the Chargers a 3-2 Northeast-10 Conference win at home.

New Haven improved to 7-5-2 overall and 4-5-2 in NE10 competition following the win, while Le Moyne dropped to 9-6-0 overall and 6-5-0 in NE10 matches. 

The Dolphins will return home to close out the regular season against Southern Connecticut State University on Wednesday, November 3 at 12:00 p.m. EST at Ted Grant Field.

 
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