FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The Fairfield University men's soccer team played two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) games so far this season. From a scoring perspective, it would be hard to find games as opposite as these two dates. After playing to a scoreless draw in their conference opener against Rider earlier this week, the Stags found themselves in a match this afternoon that featured seven goals in a 4-3 overtime setback to Saint Peter's University.
No one cannot say that this team doesn't have the capacity to fight back and rally, a trait first exhibited when the Stags overcame two deficits before playing to a 2-2 draw against Stony Brook in mid-September. Today, Head Coach
Carl Rees saw his team overcome two one-goal deficits in the first half before heading into the locker room at halftime with a 2-2 tie. Fairfield started the second half with a goal to take its first lead of the game before yielding a goal later in the second half and another four minutes into the first overtime.
It didn't take long for the two teams to show the crowd that today would feature a whole lot of scoring as Saint Peter's tallied the first goal of the game just five minutes into the first half. Tom Coulson collected a loose ball about three yards from the near post following a restart on the right flank and hit a volley that caught the upper right corner of the goal. The Stags did not take much longer to find the equalizer off an impressive play that started with
Matt McGlinchey sending a cross to the top of the box.
Cormac Pike rose above his defender and redirected the ball with his head that eluded the Saint Peter's goalkeeper and stayed just under the crossbar in the 16th minute of play.
The Peacocks regained the lead in the 23rd minute as Frederick Lindqvist showed some long-range accuracy with a ball that left his foot while still in Saint Peter's territory that was eventually run down by Dominic Laws. The cross sprung the junior for a 1 v 1 chance and the forward did not miss the chance by placing the ball inside the far post at the 12:31 mark. Fairfield stepped up its offensive pressure in the closing minutes, searching for the tying goal before halftime. And,
Cooper Knecht found that goal when McGlinchy crossed the ball from just outside the box. Knecht tracked down McGlinchey's effort and kicked the ball past the goalkeeper with 35 seconds left in the half.
Knecht showed more brilliance in the second half when he made a diagonal cut toward the goal which was noticed by
Jonathan Filipe. The sophomore sent the ball between two Saint Peter's defenders right to the foot of Knecht, who finished the shot and pushed the Stags in front for the first time at 3-2 in the 56th minute. Less than two minutes later, Saint Peter's found its way to its third goal as Laws completed a corner kick that started with Jordan Jowers, beating the goalkeeper to the far post at 57:50.
Fairfield seemed to have the better of play after that goal, creating several scoring chances that were not finished. Knecht just missed his third goal when he drove a shot from 20 yards away that just sailed past the upper corner in the 88th minute.
Marcus Nordgard also nearly completed a scoring chance with a strong effort that was deflected by a Saint Peter's player which changed the trajectory of the ball just enough to skim the outside of the far post.
Saint Peter's ended the game in overtime when Laws found open space down the left side which drew goalkeeper
Gordon Botterill off his line. He sent the ball toward goal, a play nearly thwarted by Nordgard who headed the ball off the line. But, the ball landed at the feet of Omar Seghiri, who one-timed the ball into the goal ending the game just four minutes into extra time.
The Stags will off the pitch until next Saturday when they head to Iona College for an October 12 meeting with the Gaels. The game is scheduled for a 3 pm start.
