Junior
Aidan Callahan scored on a penalty kick to bring the game within one, but the St. Lawrence University men's soccer team, who made its 22nd appearance in the 2018 NCAA Division III Tournament, fell to the College at Brockport, 2-1, in a first-round game on Saturday night at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York.
Brockport struck first as Quintin Volpe scored his seventh goal of the season on a 38-yard free kick in the 28th minute of play.
At the break, St. Lawrence held a 6-4 shot advantage, but the Golden Eagles held a 2-1 edge in shots on goal.
The Golden Eagles added their second of the game in the 55th minute of play as AJ Sinclair capitalized on a loose ball scramble in front of an empty net giving Brockport a 2-0 lead.
Just about five minutes later, the Saints brought the game back within one as Callahan scored on a penalty-kick opportunity in the 60th minute.
Jethro Dede had a chance to tie the game, but Golden Eagles' goalkeeper Joseph Romano made a point-blank save in the 77th minute.
Saints' goalkeeper
Mike Smith kept Brockport from adding another to the scoresheet in the 81st minute with a save on the shot from Jason Hayes. Romano made another save on a header from Dede as the Saints continued to apply pressure, looking to tie the game and force overtime.
With one last effort, off the Brockport foul,
Stephen Dorney sent a header over the crossbar with 29 seconds remaining in regulation, but the clock ran out before the Saints would get another opportunity on net.
"We're very proud of the team," said head coach
Mike Toshack. "They kept punching hard right until the end, unfortunately, despite dominating in the second half the goal didn't come. The senior class was fantastic all season long and helped to set a standard for the young players to maintain going forward."
Callahan led the Saints with the goal, while Dede recorded three shots on net.
Sinclair and Volpe scored in the win for the Golden Eagles, while three other members of the squad recorded a shot on goal.
Smith and Romano finished with three saves each after 90 minutes of play.
St. Lawrence outshot the Golden Eagles 14-8, but Brockport finished with a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal.
With the loss, the Saints closed the season at 12-3-3, while Brockport improved to 16-4-2 and will face the University of Rochester in the second-round of the NCAA tournament tomorrow evening.
