FRANKLIN, Mass. – October 6, 2022 – The Dean College men's soccer team fell to the University of Saint Joseph (USJ), 4-2, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action at Lippert Field Thursday afternoon.
Dean (4-5-1, 2-4-1 GNAC) travels to Elms on Saturday for a 3 p.m. match against the Blazers. USJ (7-2-1, 4-1-1 GNAC) will host Lasell on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The first half was scoreless for more than 35 minutes, but USJ grabbed the momentum with two goals in less than a minute to take a 2-0 lead into halftime. Senior Michael Torres (Hartford, Conn.) sent a pass into the six where junior Dane Stephens (Jamaica) headed home his fourth goal of the season at 36:25. The Bulldogs were whistled for a foul in the box, 46 seconds later, to set up a penalty shot. Senior Benjamin Marchetti (Higganum, Conn.) stepped to the spot and beat the diving keeper to the left for his team leading eighth goal of the season.
The Bulldogs controlled the action early in the second half. In the 57
th minute, Dean cut the deficit in half on a set piece from just outside the left of the box. Junior
Sean Doherty (Chelmsford, Mass.) found the foot of senior
Luke Palmer (Windsor Locks, Conn.). Palmer did the rest as he ripped a low shot into the corner of the goal for his third tally of the season.
USJ responded in the 63
rd minute to retake a two-goal lead. Stephens was in a group of Bulldog defenders when he came away with the ball. He then stepped around the Dean goalie to softly dribble to ball into the right corner of the net for his second tally of the contest.
The Blue Jays went on top 4-1 when Torres assisted senior Joel Agbetossou (Hartford, Conn.) at 81:34.
Dean answered 17 seconds later to make the score 4-2. Freshman
Jake Richard (Townsend, Mass.) set up sophomore teammate
Connor Corbett (Long Beach, N.Y.) who notched his first collegiate goal.
Dean junior keeper
Alberto Gonzalez Del Rio (Madrid, Spain) finished with a couple of saves. USJ junior goalie Jose Miguel Garcia Martin (Madrid, Spain) made five saves in the win.
