WALTHAM, Mass. – Junior Stephen McLeod (Chelmsford, Mass.) collected a game-high eight saves but a late surge came up just short as the Saint Anselm College men's soccer team dropped a tough 2-1 decision against Bentley University Friday afternoon at Bentley Field in Waltham.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Bentley proved the Hawks' best offensive weapon, as a late own-goal recorded Saint Anselm's lone score of the afternoon.
• McLeod's eight saves on the night matched the second-most of the season.
For the Falcons…
• Sean Sullivan scored a pair of unassisted goals to almost single-handedly hand the Falcons their sixth league win of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Sullivan scored before Saint Anselm could even blink, collecting a missed defensive clear and blasting a wide-open goal just 15 seconds into the game.
• Sullivan then found an opening in the middle of the field, slicing a cutter through the Hawk defense in the 28th minute of the opening frame.
• Saint Anselm used the wind to its advantage on the second half, possessing for much of it but couldn't solve Blatchford in goal. Sophomore Jack Heintzelman (Middleton, Mass.) pelted a deep shot that ricocheted off the post but bounced away harmlessly.
• Finally, a 50-50 ball on the right sideline was collected by senior Colin Mahoney (Peabody, Mass.), who played a beautiful through-ball to the left post toward two streaking Hawks. The left back attempted to disrupt the pass, but ended up chipping the ball into the back of his own netting to help the Hawks cut the lead in half at the 80:16 mark of the period.
• With less than two minutes remaining, Heintzelman bounded down the left side of the field with a defender on his hip, but got off an excellent strike that slipped past Blatchford. Unfortunately, the ball spun just wide of the right post, preserving a hard-fought win for the hosts.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
• Bentley outshot Saint Anselm 18-10 overall, including a 12-3 barrage in the first half alone.
• Saint Anselm put only three strikes on-target—including the own-goal by Bentley.
• The Falcons also held an advantage on corners, earning six overall and five in the first period.
NOTES
• The loss is the eighth straight for the Hawks, who are still searching for their first NE-10 victory of the season.
• Bentley improves to 23-21-5 in the all-time series.
• Saint Anselm, currently 11 points out of the eight-place spot in the league standings, could be eliminated from NE-10 Championship tournament contention with a win or tie by both Le Moyne College and Saint Michael's College.
UP NEXT
• Saint Anselm will finish its season playing three of its last four games on the friendly confines of Melucci Field. The Hawks welcome University of New Haven for a Wednesday tilt before battling Adelphi University on Saturday—both in 3 p.m. starts.
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