WESTON, Mass. - Regis College cut a two-goal deficit in half on two occasions, but the Pride could not complete the comeback as the University of Saint Joseph held on for a 3-2 victory Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's soccer match at Regis Stadium.
USJ controlled most of the action and created more scoring opportunities early in the match. In the 27th minute, Eduardo Chavez-Baez raced down the right side of the field and fed a crossing pass into the box, where Damir Cirikovic met the ball and found the back of the net for the first goal of the match.
Just 20 seconds later, the Blue Jays struck again when Landon Coelho intercepted a Regis clearing attempt and blasted a shot from about 25 yards out into the net to increase the USJ advantage to 2-0. The visitors nearly struck again just over a minute later, but a shot by Mario Milardo was stopped by Regis goalie Chris Alcon (Weston, Fla.).
With less than five minutes remaining in the first half, the Pride struck back as Nolan McMahon (White River Junction, Vt.) found Haroun Mafhoum (Bellingham, Mass.) for his first career collegiate goal. Regis threatened to tie the match two minutes into the second half, but a shot by Tristan Caple (Margate, South Africa) from outside the 18-yard box sailed a little bit wide to the left.
Midway through the second half, on a corner kick play, Coelho's entry ball found Dane Stephens, who scored to once again give the Blue Jays a two-goal lead at 3-1. In the 76th minute, Juan Pablo Chavarria (Revere, Mass.) sent an entry pass into the box, where McMahon redirected the ball into the net for his third goal of the season, bringing the Pride back within one tally.
The Pride kept pressuring the Blue Jay defense in the final 15 minutes, but USJ was able to hold off the home team by continually clearing the ball and creating counterattacks. Even though Regis scored multiple goals against USJ for the first time in six meetings, the Blue Jays were able to prevail for the sixth time.
Alcon tied his season high with seven saves in the match, while USJ keeper Will Slayton finished with two saves as he picked up the victory. The Blue Jays outshot the Pride, 19-13, led by Milardo with six shots and Henry McGarrah V with five shots.
Regis College (3-5-1, 3-4 GNAC) hosts Rivier University Wednesday, Oct. 2, starting at 7 p.m. USJ (5-3-1, 4-0-1 GNAC) travels to face Dean College Tuesday, Oct. 1, beginning at 3:30 p.m.