WESTON, Mass. - After a scoreless first half, Regis College grabbed the lead early in the second half, but Rivier University rallied with two goals in the final 20 minutes for a 2-1 victory over the Pride Wednesday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's soccer match at Regis Stadium.
Just a minute-and-a-half after halftime, Regis put together a scoring chance as Rafael Morales (Manati, Puerto Rico) fed Federico Lavini-Ayalla (Weston, Fla.) on the right side of the field. Lavini-Ayalla sent a pass into the box, where Dane Peterson (San Diego, Calif.) met the ball with a header that found the back of the net for his third goal of the season.
The Pride threatened to increase their lead with three shots on goal within a six-minute span, but Rivier goalie Logan Clough was able to turn all three shots away. Midway through the second half, the Raiders started to gain some momentum, but Pride keeper Caleb Russo (Brookfield, N.H.) stopped a shot by Thomas Hennessey in the 66th minute.
In the 73rd minute, the Raiders earned the equalizer when Jonathan Rudy took the ball across the field from left to right and then sent the ball back towards the left post. Alejandro Quezada was able to redirect the ball into the net to tie the contest at 1-1.
With 5:11 remaining in regulation, Russo stopped a shot from close range by Mitchell Ward but then took down Ward during a scramble for the rebound, creating a penalty kick opportunity for the Raiders. Hennessey was successful on the try, and Rivier held off Regis in the final five minutes to leave with the victory.
Clough finished with four saves as he earned the victory, while Russo also collected four saves in the contest. Rivier outshot Regis, 12-8, led by Ward with four total shots.
Regis College (3-6-1, 3-5 GNAC) heads to New Haven, Conn., to face Albertus Magnus College Saturday, Oct. 5, starting at 4:30 p.m. Rivier University (4-3-3, 2-2-2 GNAC) travels to Northfield, Vt., to take on Norwich Saturday beginning at 6 p.m.