Box Score SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's soccer team put forth a strong effort, but back-to-back goals by Gabriel Bagot in the second half proved to be costly, as St. Francis (NY) held on for a 2-0 victory on Friday afternoon at Sutton Field.
After a scoreless first half, the Bulldogs (1-7-1, 0-3 Northeast Conference) exchanged scoring chances with the Terriers (7-2-1, 2-0), but the visitors were able to break through in the 65th minute on a through ball to Bagot from teammate James Caicedo. After receiving the pass in the box, Bagot turned and fired a low shot that beat goalkeeper George Spanos (Garden City, N.Y.) to put SFNY up, 1-0, at 64:17.
With just under 15 minutes remaining, Bagot struck again to double the Terriers' lead, this time taking a pass from Adam Maabdi at the eighteen and maneuvering through the defense before turning and ripping a low shot to the left side of the net, racking up his team-leading sixth goal of the season and capping off the offense on the afternoon. He finished the contest with a game-high five shots, with three on net.
The Bulldogs had hopes of ending SFNY's league-high six-game winning streak, but were kept in check by the Terriers' defense, especially in the second half. Bryant was held to 12 shot attempts, but none were on target. On the other end, the Terriers attempted 16 shots, with four on net.
Physical play dominated the second half, as both teams saw players issued yellow cards. At 68:09, junior defense Matthew D'Amelio (Lincoln, R.I.) was booked for a foul, while a scrum in the 71st minute between freshman Connor Norat (Wilmington, Del.) and Richie Arkoi resulted in both players getting booked. Caicedo also was issued a caution at 26:54 of the first half.
Spanos wound up with three saves over the game, while the Bryant defense earned a team save at a pivotal late in regulation. With the Bulldogs still trailing 1-0, Bagot made another bid to tickle the twine with Spanos pulled off his post, but a pair of defenders got a leg on the ball in front of an empty net to prevent the scoring chance.
A quiet first half saw Bryant head into the locker rooms with a 5-4 advantage in shot attempts, with junior midfielder Ryan Stone (Wakefield, R.I.) nearly putting the Bulldogs ahead with a pair of headers that sailed over the crossbar. Senior forward Nicholas Parisi (Holbrook, N.Y.) led the team with four shot attempts on the game, with three of those chances coming in the first half.
Redshirt-junior David Falcones (Massapequa, N.Y.) led the Bulldogs with three shots in the second half, with one coming off a set piece that looked promising but sailed into the hands of goaltender Tyler Clarhaut, who denied a shot attempt on that play.
The Terriers held a commanding 12-2 lead in corner kicks, while also leading fouls by a 16-11 margin.
Bryant will rest tomorrow before continuing a season-high four-game homestand on Sunday, hosting preseason conference favorite Monmouth for an afternoon tilt at Bulldog Stadium, with game time slated for 12 p.m.
For continuing coverage of Bryant University men's soccer, check back at www.bryantbulldogs.com, and be sure to follow the Bulldogs on Twitter @BryantAthletics.
