Bobby Martinez – Sports Writer
NEW HAVEN — At one point they were 4-6 and their hopes of a playoff chase were drifting away, until Nov. 19 when the men’s soccer team began their push to dominance.
The Owls struggled early in the season with close losses to Mercy College the first game of the season, recorded a tie with Assumption College 0-0, both matchups against American International College and Southern New Hampshire University were both losses by one point each.
It was the loss against Bridgeport University on Nov. 15 that caused the Owls to head into the next game against St. Anselm College with a different mindset. With a 4-6 record at this point, the Owls managed to win the next five games which helped them get a chance to play in the Northeast-10 tournament against Franklin Pierce University.
Heading into the first game of the tournament, the Owls were up against a St. Anselm team that had played the Owls a few days prior and lost 1-0. It was a late Ross Mcgibeny field goal that helped secure the win for the Owls on senior night.
Franklin Pierce dominated the entire first half on the offensive side of the ball. It was the Owls defense that countered back stopping Franklin pierce’s 11 shot attempts in the first half. Despite Franklin Pierce’s numerous shot attempts in the first half, they didn’t manage to score a goal.
The Owls didn’t attempt a single shot attempt in the first half. Owls junior goalie Stephen Sasso backed up the Owls in the first half by recording four crucial saves that could’ve changed the outcome of the first game. For the entire first half, the backbone for the Owls was their defense due to Franklin Pierce’s constant attack. The Owls played energetic for the full 45 minutes in the first half.
With the score knotted up in a tie 0-0 as the second half began, Franklin Pierce’s game plan was still the same; attack on offense. Patience was the word to describe the Owls approach on trying to score a goal. Sophomore Daquan King scored the Owls first goal of the game coming from an assist from red-shirt sophomore Tyler Naef. With the Owls taking the lead 1-0 56 minutes into the game, freshman Kevin Joslyn continued the Owls offense attack with a shot that missed wide right which was the Owls second shot the entire game.
In the 78th minute into the second half, junior Matthew Gilmore attempted the Owls third shot of the game which was saved by Franklin Pierce’s goalie, Mike Konzel. With the clock running down and the score tied at one apiece, sophomore Josh Gustafson scored the Owls second goal off an assist from freshman Sebastian Brems.
The Owls will go on and secure their 10th win of the year and advance in the Northeast-10 tournament. Sasso finished the game with 11 saves in a game which the Owls were outshot 22-5 and gave up 10 corners. Gustafson said his team practices all the time for close games alongside his personal practicing as a player.
“It just came down to my feet,” said Gustafson in a post-game interview. “We also work on these things in practice.”
The Owls are set to play against Merrimack College Nov. 8 in a semifinals matchup. Merrimack defeated the Owls early in the season with a 3-1 victory in a game which the Owls managed to attempt 11 shots. Merrimack completed the game with 22 shots which resulted into three goals. Merrimack finished the regular season with a record of 13-3-1.
