MANCHESTER, N.H. – Sean Smith (Hampstead, N.H.) scored a goal in the 66th minute of regulation, but the Saint Anselm men's soccer team fell to Merrimack College, 2-1, in double overtime Wednesday afternoon on Melucci Field in Northeast-10 men's soccer action.
Saint Anselm was dished its first loss in conference play as the Hawks now stand at 3-4-1 overall and 3-1-0 NE-10, as the Warriors improve to 5-2-1 and 3-2-0 in conference play.
Merrimack jumped on the board first at 24:29 when Rafael Cabral took a shot from the left side that was blocked by a Saint Anselm defender, then gathered the rebound and took another shot, firing the ball into the right side of the net past Hawk goalkeeper Eric Moriarty (Center Harbor, N.H.).
Saint Anselm came back to tie the game at one at 65:30 when Matthew McQueeney (Hooksett, N.H.) sent the ball into the box from the right flank to find Smith, who netted it into the right side – good for his fourth goal of the season.
With no action for the remainder of regulation or the first overtime period, Merrimack's Matt McFadden put it away with 13 seconds left when Warriors goalkeeper Jose Silva kicked the ball down the field into the opposite box where McFadden found it and headed it over the outstretched arms of Moriarty, who had gone up to snatch the ball out of the air, for the win.
Moriarty made five saves in the loss, while Silva stopped eight shots, including three in the two overtime sessions, to earn the win.
Saint Anselm took 19 shots, while the Warriors took 20. Corner kicks were tied up at six apiece.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, Sept. 29 as they travel to Franklin Pierce in a 1 p.m. tilt. The next home game for the Hawks is Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. when they play host to Southern New Hampshire University under the lights at Grappone Stadium. Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by friending us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/STAHawks) and following us on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/STAHawks).
