JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- The Fairfield University men's soccer team scored a season-high three goals but a pair of penalty kicks awarded to Saint Peter's University helped propel the Peacocks to a 4-3 win over the Stags on Friday afternoon.
Fairfield jumped out to a two-goal lead midway through the first half as the team scored a pair of goals less than four minutes apart. Freshman
Alex Oliveira sent the Stags in front with his team-leading second goal of the season, finding the back of the net in the 26th minute. In the 30th minute,
Jonathan Filipe doubled the advantage when he converted his first scoring chance of the season, giving the Stags a 2-0 lead on the team's first two shots of the game.
Dominic Laws was able to cut into the advantage for Saint Peter's when he posted his first goal of the campaign with six minutes remaining in the half. Prior to the Peacocks' goal, the home team managed to put together a couple of scoring chances. The first occurred in the sixth minutes when Jordan Jowers sent an attempt toward goal but goalkeeper
Gordon Botterill was able to make the save. Laws also had an opportunity in the half, sending a shot toward the lower left corner that Botterill was able to turn away in the 35th minute.
Down a goal, Saint Peter's received a penalty kick opportunity in the 50th minute which Jowers completed with a shot that caught the lower left corner. The Peacocks secured their first lead of the game when Phillip Smith posted an unassisted goal in the 70th minute to push the score to 3-2 in favor of the home team. Down for the first time in the game, Fairfield needed to mount a comeback which it did in the 75th minute.
Joseph Lozowski provided the magic that set up the tying goal when he ran down a ball sent through to the right corner of Saint Peter's defensive third. He carried the ball for a few steps and sent a cross to the center of the six-yard box.
Thomas Drillien secured the pass and one-timed a shot that hit the cross bar and landed beyond the goal line for the tying goal.
The tied game did not last long because Saint Peter's received its second penalty kick chance just 39 seconds later. The Peacocks restarted the game and sent a ball directly down field that caused some concern for the Stags. By the time the ball was cleared, Fairfield was whistled for a violation inside the box to set up the free kick from the spot. Jowers kept the penalty kick to low the turf and it skipped past Botterill to regain a one-goal edge for the home team.
Fairfield pushed aggressively down the pitch but Saint Peter's was able to keep the Stags from creating a tying goal over the final 15 minutes. Botterill finished the game with three saves while Saint Peter's goalkeeper Robbie Anderson was credited with one stop over his 90 minutes of work.
