Fairfield University Athletics

QUEENS, N.Y. -- In the mind of Head Coach Carl Rees, this was one of those games where the effort did not necessarily reflect the outcome on the scoreboard. For the second straight match, the Fairfield University men's soccer team lost in overtime as St. John's University edged the Stags by a 2-1 count. And for the second straight time, the result came about in the second minute of overtime.

"In the balance of the game, I think we deserved to get something out of the effort we put forth tonight," Coach Rees said. "Before the game, I told the team that I thought they would finish this game as an improved team and I think we definitely stepped back on the bus as a better team than we were at the start."

One of the reasons that Rees came to that conclusion was certainly the team's transition from the first half to the second half. The Stags started a different back four than they did against New Hampshire in the season opener which required some acclimation between the defenders and goalkeeper Gordon Botterill. St. John's took advantage of the situation by making several dangerous runs early in the game, one of which came just 10 minutes into the contest.

Matt Forester secured a cross that landed near the left post and sent a shot that seemed destined for the goal. Botterill made a terrific reflex save that kept the game scoreless, the first of several times which the goalkeeper frustrated the home team. In the 23rd minute, Botterill came off his line and cut down the angle which forced Skage Simonsen to hurry his shot and forced the attempt wide of the far post. By the end of the half, St. John's had outshot Fairfield by an 11-0 count with Botterill making four saves before Forester finished a pass from Tani Oluwaseyi in the 38th minute to send the Red Storm into the locker room with a 1-0 lead.

"When you start a different back four there will be some grey areas early between the defenders and the goalkeeper," Rees said. "But Gordon made some saves and the back four also made some key plays to keep the game close in the first half."

The second half proved to be a different story as the Stags found their footing inside the box and began creating opportunities. The offense strung passes together that set up dangerous situations that applied pressure on the St. John's defenders. One of those opportunities came in the 51st minute when Don-Junior Bobe, with a defender draped on his back, used the back of his foot to send a pass across the top of the box that found Joseph Meyer. Meyer took one step past his defender and sent a shot into the upper left corner for the tying goal.

Just four minutes later, Bobe nearly put the Stags in front when he found a small opening between two defenders. Matt McGlinchey sent the ball into the box off a free kick from 25 yards away and Bobe was able to redirect the ball with his foot on goal. St. John's goalkeeper Lenny Wilson was able to react in time to get his hands on the shot and keep it away from the back of the net.

While opportunities certainly presented themselves throughout the second half, the match remained tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation. The game ended just two minutes into overtime as Oluwaseyi collected a pass from the left side of the pitch and redirected the ball into the goal for a 2-1 victory. 

"We are were able to maintain pressure tonight and at times controlled the game, especially in the second half," Rees said. "I thought we were the better team in the second half. The team put together some good runs and had good possessions tonight. It would have been nice to reward their effort with a better result."

Fairfield will have 48 hours to regroup and prepare for its next match as it will play Yale University on Monday afternoon. The game will start at 4:30 pm and will be played at Quinnipiac University.