Sept. 10, 2011

Box Score

Boston, Mass. - Junior midfielder Andres Rocha (West Orange, N.J.) netted the game-winning goal with just 15 seconds remaining in the first overtime period to lift the Emmanuel College men's soccer team past Johnson & Wales University, 4-3, this afternoon at Clemente Field. With the victory, the Saints continue their best start in program history and remaining unbeaten to improve to 1-0-3 on the year, 1-0 in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference while the loss drops the Wildcats to 0-4 overall, 0-1 in the GNAC.

With the score knotted at 3-3 and less than 30 seconds remaining in the first overtime session, the Saints were able to gain possession in the central midfield and look for one last scoring opportunity before the end of the first OT period. Senior midfielder Jeremy Scanlon (Belmont, Mass.) was able to break free and deliver a diagonal cross deep into the Johnson & Wales box that found the foot of Rocha just inside the 6-yard box. Rocha was able to fire off a left footed shot across the net that eluded the Wildcats backline before hitting off the far post and deflecting into the goal to give EC the 4-3 victory.

Just 6:13 into the game the Wildcats took an early 1-0 lead when freshman defender Ray Durski (Monroe, N.J.) netted his first collegiate goal off, finishing to the low right hand corner of the net with the assist coming from freshman midfielder Dustin Hughes (Holden, Mass.) off of a free kick set piece. The Saints would tie the score at 1-1 just over ten minutes later with a score by junior defender Pawel Samolewicz (Chicopee, Mass.). Samolewicz was up in the box for an Emmanuel corner kick, finding the first ball only to have his shot blocked before putting home the rebound at the 16:55 mark to tie the game.

Senior midfielder Mathew Koenemann (Montpelier, V.T.) would give Emmanuel its first lead of the season at 33:04 when he converted a penalty kick following a foul inside the Johnson & Wales 18-yard box. Koenemann pushed his shot to the right side of the net to make it a 2-1 contest, a score which would hold heading into the halftime intermission.

The Wildcats came out firing in the second stanza and it paid off with two early second half goals, swinging the game's momentum in favor of the visitors. Just over four minutes into the second frame, freshman midfielder O'Kyle Corridon (Selden, N.Y.) was the beneficiary of a through ball pass from senior forward Adam Shafer (Corning, N.Y.), finishing with his first collegiate goal at the 49:03 mark to even the score at 2-2. Less than two minutes later, Corridon would add his second goal of the contest as the Saints defensive unit had a communication lapse, allowing the freshman to wind up and take a shot that would deflect off an Emmanuel player and end up in the back of the net to give JWU a 3-2 advantage.

The Saints continued to press on and would eventually get the equalizer when junior forward Kevin Shirley (Madison, Conn.) found the back of the net for the first time during the 2011 campaign. Freshman forward James Carroll (Guilford, Conn.) was able to carry the ball to the end line before dropping a pass to a streaking Shirley, who was able to hammer a one-time shot into the back of the net at the 62:54 mark to make it 3-3.

Emmanuel appeared to put home the game-winner with just over three minutes remaining in regulation but they were whistled for an offsides violation that would ultimately set up the overtime heroics by Rocha.

Senior goalie Wilhelm Du Bois (Key Biscayne, Fla.) picked up the win for the Saints in net, making four saves on the afternoon including a key save in the overtime period from point-blank range. Freshman keeper Ryan Dzierawski (Oakland, Mich.) made eight saves for the Wildcats in a solid effort between the pipes.

The win for Emmanuel is just their second-ever victory over Johnson & Wales in the program's nine-year history.

The Saints will return to action on Tuesday, September 13 when they host Newbury College for a 7:00 p.m. contest at Clemente Field while the Wildcats head to New London, Conn. the same day to take on Connecticut College in a 4:00 p.m. match.