HAMDEN, Conn. -- Despite controlling pace for most of the second half, the Fairfield University men's soccer team could not find the equalizer in today's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (
MAAC) semifinal match this afternoon. Top-seeded Quinnipiac University advanced to the conference championship match on Saturday by holding off the upstart Stags by a 2-1 score.
Matt
McGlinchey had the game's first opportunity when he was able to send a shot toward the goal just five minutes into the game but saw it sail off target. Quinnipiac began to hold the advantage after that, posting its first two shots of the game just 30 seconds apart in the 14th minute. Neither required any effort from goalkeeper Gordon
Botterill built the Bobcats did build on that flurry. Nearly two minutes later, Quinnipiac broke through when David
Bercedo and Jordan Bennett set up Tomas
Svecula in the 16th minute which the sophomore finished to put the top-seed in front by a goal.
Fairfield began to build some momentum later in the first half when it pushed the ball forward more consistently.
Jonathan Filipe was the first Stag to establish himself when he sent a shot that missed the mark in the 27
th minute.
Nadav Zarmi also tried his luck but also sent the ball wide of the goal in the 41
st minute. Quinnipiac still held the lead when time expired in the first half as both teams played evenly with four shots each.
The Bobcats added to their lead early in the second half when Brage Aasen posted his fifth goal of the season in the 57
th minute after accepting a pass from Paulo Soares, boosting the score to 2-0. The two-goal edge did not last a minute as Fairfield found its way to the scoreboard when
Thomas Drillien secured a ball from Thomas Stocchetti just 42 seconds later.
From that point, Fairfield began to gain momentum and stayed on top with strong play in the Quinnipiac side of the pitch. The Stags doubled up the Bobcats over the final 30 minutes of the game by holding a 6-3 advantage in shots. Two of Fairfield's shots required saves from goalkeeper Jared Mazzola.
Kheireddine Kourdassi and
Jonathan Filipe were the responsible Stags for putting Mazzola to work, putting attempts on goal in the 61
st and 72
nd minute.
The Stags continued to apply pressure on the Quinnipiac back line but could not find a way to finish those remaining opportunities in the closing minutes.
Fairfield, the fifth seed in the MAAC Championship, finished the spring season with a 4-3-1 overall record with a 3-2-1 conference mark.
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