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WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Sophomore forward Alexis Garcia scored his team-leading fifth goal on the rebound of a shot from freshman forward Mark Robinson 15 minutes into sudden-death overtime to lift the Albertus Magnus College men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Eastern Connecticut State University Tuesday afternoon at Thomas Nevers Field.
At right: In his first appearance at Thomas Nevers Field in almost three years, Jon DeCasanova started and played 76 minutes, nearly putting the Warriors ahead in the eighth minute with this header off a long cross that was stopped by Albertus keeper Griffin Volta. (Photo by Liam Murphy).
The win for Albertus (4-0-2) keeps the Falcons unbeaten and is the fourth for the Falcons against Eastern (1-2-2) in this 17-game series. Eastern drops to 0-2-0 at home, both losses by identical scores.
Robinson's only shot of the match was saved by Eastern keeper Greg Walton (Brunswick, ME), but rolled to the weak side, where Garcia scored unmarked into the open net at 105:16.
Eastern dominated play with a 16-9 advantage in shots (16-5 in the first half) and 5-0 edge in corner kicks, but Albertus freshman keeper Griffin Volta came up big on many occasions to keep the game scoreless heading into overtime. The shutout was the second in six starts for Volta, whose biggest save may have come with five minutes left in regulation. Eastern first-year sophomore forward Tyler Jones (Vernon) beat a defender with a crossover move in the left area of the box on a pass from sophomore midfielder Nicholas Warren (Southbury), but Volta sprung off his line and deflected the low, hard drive with arm save, and no Eastern player could clean up the rebound.
The Warriors had four chances to score an early goal in the first nine minutes of play. First-year sophomore forward Konnor Scarponi (Brunswick, ME) couldn't convert two minutes into play when his hard shot from the left side sailed high, then had another try from the same spot that also went high. Minutes later, senior captain and cancer survivor Jon DeCasanova (Glasonbury), playing his first match since 2011, got his head on a long cross but drove it directly at Volta. DeCasanova played 76 minutes in a starting role, putting two shots on goal.
Volta made all nine of his saves in regulation, five coming in the second half when Eastern continued to threaten.
The Falcons managed their first shot on goal 12 minutes into the second half, but Walton came off his line and grabbed a shot by Albertus senior midfielder Lindsley Barrett.
Three-time defending Little East Conference champion Eastern visits Western Connecticut State University in its conference opener Saturday at 8 p.m.
