October 11, 2009

Box Score

BULLDOGS SHOCK THE NEC, UPSET CENTRAL CONNECTICUT IN DOUBLE OVERTIME, 3-2

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant University men's soccer team upset Central Connecticut and shocked the conference with a 3-2 double overtime victory on Sunday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium. Freshman Mike da Fonte (Ossining, N.Y.) scored the game-winner for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs (3-9-0, 1-3) earn their first conference victory with the win over CCSU, who was ranked fourth in the North Atlantic region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Surprisingly, in a high-scoring affair, there were no goals scored by either team in the first 45 minutes of play. However, the first goal of the game was a thing of beauty. Following a Bryant foul, Blue Devil senior Raphael Guimares had a free kick attempt just outside the top left corner of the 18-yard box. Guimares placed the ball and quickly kicked it in order to catch the Bryant goalie Victor Tutino (Deer park, N.Y.) off guard. There was nothing Tutino could do about this shot, Guimares was able to bend the ball with his right foot and place it perfectly in the upper right corner of the goal for the first tally of the game in the 60th minute.

Just two minutes later, senior captain Patrick Bedard (East Longmeadow, Mass.) sent a long free-kick attempt into the box to one of the other Bryant captains, Taylor Sabo (Scarborough, Maine). Sabo was able to head the ball back towards the goal and off the right post. The ball bounced out and CCSU sophomore Jared Spieker tried clearing the ball out of the box but hit it into his own net for an own goal.

The Bulldogs received a picture-perfect goal of their own in the 80th minute coming off the left foot of Sean Reilly (Monroe, N.Y.). Junior Sean Kaukas (Glastonbury, Conn.) sent a cross from the left side of the field past the goal to an awaiting Reilly. The freshman gathered his footing and from a near-impossible angle was able to bend the ball with his left foot over the Blue Devil's keeper and into the left side-netting of the goal to bring the score to 2-1 in favor of the Bulldogs. It was Reilly's first-ever collegiate goal.

Much like the Bulldogs had done earlier, the Blue Devils fought back and were able to record the game-tying goal just two minutes after the Bryant tally. Once again the goal came off a CCSU set piece. Junior Robert Cavener sent a free kick into the 6-yard box where Spieker was able to deflect the ball into the back of the net with his right foot. With just eight minutes to play the score was leveled once again.

Despite two shots by each team, there were no goals scored in the first 10-minute overtime period. It was in the 104th minute when freshman Mike da Fonte was able to record his first-ever collegiate goal. Bulldog forward Matt Brown (South Easton, Mass.) sent a through-ball to da Fonte who was one-on-one with Paul Armstrong, the Blue Devil keeper. da Fonte was able to beat Armstrong to the left side for the game-winner.

With their first NEC victory under their belt, the Bulldogs will look to carry the momentum into next Friday's matchup with the No. 10 nationally-ranked Monmouth University on October 16 at 3 p.m.