University of Connecticut Athletics
Men's Soccer Rolls Over Seton Hall, 3-1
10/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
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STORRS, Conn. (October 7, 2006) - Toni Stahl (Tuusula, Finland) scored his first career goal in the 81st minute to seal the deal for the University of Connecticut men's soccer team as it took down BIG EAST rival Seton Hall, 3-1, Saturday night at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium in front of 3,469 fans. With the win, the Huskies improve to 8-3-2 on the year with a 6-1-1 record in the BIG EAST, while the Pirates fall to 7-5-1 overall and 5-3-0 in the conference.
Ryan Cordeiro (Highland Mills, N.Y.) and O'Brian White (Scarborough, Ontario) also scored for UConn as the team marked just the second time in six years that either squad won by two or more goals. Mike Pezza (Jackson, N.J.), Kevin Burns (Greenfield, Ind.) and Akeem Priestley (Kingston, Jamaica) all tallied assists, while Matt Sangeloty (Farmington, Conn.) bested his career high set Tuesday vs. Providence with seven saves on the night.
The Huskies jumped ahead early, putting up the first goal of the night in just the 12th minute of action when White played the ball into the middle of the box for Pezza, who sent it out wide left to Cordeiro about five yards out. The junior forward then fired off a shot into the left side of the net to give UConn the early lead, essentially securing the win as the team is a flawless 8-0-0 after finding the back of the net first.
After a couple attempts by UConn to broaden the lead to two, the Pirates capitalized on their counterattack by drawing a foul in the penalty area in the 19th minute. Eliseo Giusfredi knocked the ensuing penalty kick into the left side of net to even up the score at 1-1. Giusfredi seemingly put Seton Hall on top just a couple minutes later when he brought the ball downfield alone and shot it just to the right side of Sangeloty, but the goal was called back due to a foul near the top of the box.
With the score still tied 1-1, the Huskies continued to push forward through the remainder of the half and eventually got the second goal of the night in the 40th minute to mark the first time since Oct. 1 of last season that UConn has put up two or more goals in the first half of play. Burns brought the ball down the left side of the field before cutting in towards the middle and sending the ball back out to White on the left side. The sophomore forward then poked it into the back of the net for his team-leading seventh goal of the year.
Coming out of the half with the lead for the fifth time this year, the Huskies continue to mean business in the second period. Though the two teams ended the half with an even 9-9 shot total, UConn's attack was far more threatening as White, Burns and Euan Holden (Sugarland, Texas) each posted strong scoring opportunities over a 10-minute span in the middle of the period. The Pirates' keeper Ian Joyce made three of his five saves during this stretch, all on shots from White inside the box.
The continued push forward once again paid off when Priestley sent a free kick into play in the 81st minute from the left side of the pitch directly over to Stahl on the far right side of the penalty area. The freshman midfielder leapt in the air and knocked back his first career tally with what he described after the match as "a bit of a circus trick."
UConn returns to action Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. when they welcome Atlantic Coast Conference power No. 11 Wake Forest to Morrone Stadium. The Demon Deacons are fifth in the ACC with a 10-2-0 overall record and 2-2 mark in the conference.
