WESTON, Mass. – In a tightly contested matchup that needed extra time to be decided, the University of Saint Joseph pulled out a 2-1 overtime victory over Regis College Wednesday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's soccer match at Regis Stadium.
After a scoreless first half, Regis opened the second half by increasing its offensive pressure, creating several scoring opportunities. In the 57th minute, the Pride drew a corner kick, and Branden Tan (Bodrum, Turkey) sent a volley into the box. Diego Roman (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) rose up and directed a header from the left side to the right side, where Mitchell Boudreau (Swanton, Vt.) redirected the ball towards the net, but a USJ defender was able to sweep the ball out of the box right before it crossed the goal line.
Saint Joseph (10-5, 6-3 GNAC) gained consistent possession midway through the half and put the pressure on the Pride defense. In the 66th minute, Benjamin Marchetti drew a foul inside the box to produce a penalty kick opportunity, and DeAnte Anderson converted on that chance for his 14th goal of the season.
The Blue Jays continued to create scoring chances, taking three shots in the next five minutes. The Pride regained possession and challenged the USJ backline, as a shot by Zack Acciardo (Derry, N.H.) was stopped by USJ goalie John Griffin.
In the 75th minute, a shot by Tan was blocked by a Blue Jay defender, but he used his arm and hand and was called for the foul within the box. Cesar Da Silva (Boca Raton, Fla.) was successful on his penalty kick attempt, tying the match at 1-1.
USJ has two good opportunities to score the go-ahead goal in regulation, but shots by Mergim Kutllovci were turned away by Regis keeper Ivan Ramirez (San Juan, Puerto Rico).
Regis held possession at the start of overtime, but then Hayden Burbank created a turnover and found a streaking Anderson down the field. Anderson blasted a shot into the lower right corner of the net for the golden goal, ending the match just 1:17 into the extra session.
Saint Joseph held a slight edge in shots, 19-16, including a 10-5 advantage in shots on goal. Ramirez finished with eight saves, tying his season high. Griffin made two saves as he gained the victory after replacing Joseph Boland, who made one save in the first half.
The Blue Jays travel to Boston to face Emmanuel Saturday afternoon, Oct. 26, before closing the regular season at home next Wednesday, Oct. 30, against in-state rival Albertus Magnus.
Regis (4-11, 2-7 GNAC) makes the trip to Vermont to take on the Norwich Cadets Saturday, Oct. 26, with a 4 p.m. kickoff. The Pride finish the regular season at home with the Senior Day match against Johnson & Wales next Wednesday, Oct. 30, right now scheduled for a 4 p.m. start.