Men's soccer stifles regionally-ranked Le Moyne, drops narrow 1-0 decision
COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College men's soccer team put forth another strong defensive effort on Saturday, limiting its 10th opponent this fall to one goal or less, but was on the losing side of a 1-0 decision against regionally-ranked Le Moyne College at Duffy Field.
The Purple Knights fell to 4-9-2 overall and 2-8-1 in the Northeast-10 Conference while stifling the Dolphins, who were ninth in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) East regional poll. Le Moyne is 9-6-1 and 8-3.
Junior Logan Kingman (New Bern, N.C./New Bern) made five saves for the hosts, who yielded narrow advantages in shots, 16-12, and corner kicks, 7-4. The Purple Knights outshot the visitors, 9-8, in the second half.
Sophomore Matthew Silva (Brampton, Ontario/Saint Augustine) made five stops for Le Moyne, which received the winning tally from sophomore Emmanuel Chanelo (Syracuse, N.Y./Corcoran) in the 62nd minute.
Kingman denied sophomore Michael Spadine (Owego, N.Y./Owego Free Academy), Le Moyne's leading scorer, twice in the opening half, first in the third minute when the striker hit a quick shot off a turnaround that the keeper stopped at the close post. In the 33rd minute, a Spadine attempt from the right flank was collected by Kingman. In the 35th minute, Kingman dove across the penalty area to snag a corner-kick cross.
After Saint Michael's junior Eric Parziale (Pinehurst, N.C./Pinecrest/Trinity [Conn.]) sailed a shot from 30 yards a couple feet over the crossbar in the 39th minute, the Purple Knights' offensive pressure nearly resulted in the first goal in the 42nd minute, as freshman Colin Basler (Old Lyme, Conn./Lyme-Old Lyme) picked up a loose ball in the box and drove a low shot headed for the net that hit a body and deflected off the crossbar.
Kingman turned in a tremendous 58th-minute save to keep the game scoreless, leaping to swat away a shot destined for just under the crossbar with his right hand on a ball hit from inside the penalty area. In the 62nd minute, Spadine sent a through ball to Chanelo, who broke in on Kingman. The keeper slid out to deny an initial bid, but Chanelo jumped on the rebound at the left post and scored from a sharp point-blank angle at 61:27.
Saint Michael's pushed to tie in the closing minutes. Sophomore Anthony Stanley's (La Ceiba, Honduras/Saint Johnsbury Academy) low 87th-minute cross from the right end line was intercepted by Silva just before reaching freshman Philip McCormick (Starksboro, Vt./Mount Abraham Union), and McCormick lifted a shot from 15 yards over the bar late in the 89th minute.
The Purple Knights nearly knotted the score on a last-gasp opportunity, as Stanley's free kick off a restart with 2.5 seconds left reached the left side of the box, where junior Colin Thompson (Saint Albans, Vt./BFA-Saint Albans) rifled a one-timer that Silva needed to dive and knock away at the left post as the final horn sounded.
Saint Michael's completes its home slate on Tuesday by taking on Merrimack College at 3 p.m., when the Purple Knights honor their lone senior, Rob Irving (Oradell, N.J./Don Bosco Prep).
