MANCHESTER, N.H.
- The weather at Melucci Field was perfect for
soccer this Tuesday afternoon, as the Saint Anselm men's soccer
team faced off in a non-conference match against the C.W. Post
Pioneers. Both teams fought hard (perhaps a bit too hard,
warranting 27 fouls, six cautions and one ejection), but neither
was victorious, as the game ended in a 2-2 tie after two overtime
periods. Freshman Cliff Parker (Cromwell,
Conn.) assisted both Hawk goals in the game, recording his
first career points.
The Pioneers struck first, as senior Kris Frick
(Bermuda) sent a long pass from the Saint Anselm side of
the field to freshman Betim Bajrami (Helsingborg,
Sweden), who shot the ball just past Hawk goalkeeper
John Corridan (Holliston, Mass.) into the right
side of the net, to put C.W. Post on top, 1-0.
Seven minutes later, at 18:34, the Hawks had their first big
chance as Keesen Howe (Norwich, Conn.) sent a
corner kick across the field to Paul Kilday (Marshfield,
Mass.), who took a hard shot but it was saved by Pioneer
keeper Shane Flanagan (Lattingtown, N.Y.).
In the following minute, the Pioneers, looking to increase their
lead, had a similar opportunity, wherein Niclas Dahlin
(Kungalv, Sweden) sent a crossing pass from close in the
box to Bajrami, but he just missed it.
The rest of the half was quiet, until at 44:43, with just 17
seconds remaining, Cliff Parker sent a strong throw-in towards the
box. The ball was initially blocked by the C.W. Post defense, but
it bounced right to junior Jeff Dell'Orfano (N. Andover,
Mass.) in the left side of the box, who laced a crossing
shot into the right corner of the net to tie the game at one apiece
just before halftime.
C.W. Post struck first once again in the second half, as
Jeton Shoshi netted a pass from Bajrami just under
three minutes into the period, to regain the Pioneers' lead,
2-1. The Pioneers hung on to their lead for close to twenty
minutes until, at 79:16, Cliff Parker placed another throw-in to
the center of the box where sophomore Joshua Rocco (North
Reading, Mass.) fought through the line of defenders to
head in the ball and tie the game at two.
Both teams had some key opportunities to win the game in the
last ten minutes of regulation, but neither team was able to
convert. With seven minutes remaining, Rocco had a quick
breakaway drive down the field, but right before he could get open
for a shot, the goalie fought for the ball and cleared it
out. Pioneer Dahlin had a similar late breakaway drive, which
was broken up single-handedly by Andrew Parker (East
Haddam, Conn.). At 88:45, Cliff Parker took another
throw-in close to the net, but this time the defense was able to
clear it out. Finally, with just 23 seconds remaining in
regulation, Dahlin got open for another breakaway shot, but
Corridan made a great save to send the game into overtime.
The first overtime period was rather uneventful, each team only
taking one shot. In the second overtime period, the Pioneers
outshot the Hawks 5-1, but neither team could make it past the
backline, and the game eventually ended in a universally
dissatisfying tie.
Hawk goalkeeper John Corridan had a season-high nine saves in
the game, and his Pioneer counterpart Flanagan had five.
Corridan has only saved more shots once in his career, when he
saved 10 in a 3-2 single-overtime victory against UMass.-Lowell on
September 28, 2008. The Hawks are now 0-5-1 (0-2, NE-10)
and the Pioneers are 2-3-1 (0-0, ECC).
The Hawks continue to look for their first win of the season as
they travel to Syracuse, N.Y. on Saturday, September
19th for a Northeast-10 Conference match against the Le
Moyne College Dolphins. The game is scheduled to begin at
1:00 pm.
