Posted: Oct 17, 2015

Mattioli Leads Men's Soccer to 2-1 Victory Over Lasell

Anna Maria

(3-9-1 (2-5 GNAC))

Lasell

(2-10 (2-5 GNAC))

Final

Anna Maria (3-9-1 (2-5 GNAC))

Lasell (2-10 (2-5 GNAC))

Scoring Summary

1st - 0:51 - Christopher Mattioli (Anna Maria)

1st - 14:23 - Nick Liquori (Lasell)

2nd - 69:53 - Christopher Mattioli (Anna Maria)

Game Leaders

Anna Maria

G: Christopher Mattioli - 2

A: N/A

Sh: 2 Players (#7, #8) - 6

Sv: Patrick Thornberg - 8

Lasell

G: Nick Liquori - 1

A: Jonathan Hislop - 1

Sh: Stephen Blood - 4

Sv: Miguel Colmenares - 6

Team Stats

Anna Maria

Lasell

Shots (on goal)

18 (8)

23 (9)

Saves

Fouls

Corner Kicks

Offsides

Full stats

NEWTON, Mass. – The Anna Maria College men's soccer team picked up a 2-1 victory over Lasell in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action Saturday afternoon at Taylor Field. The setback puts the Lasers at 2-10 overall and 2-5 in the conference, while the AMCATS rise to 3-9-1 this season and 2-5 in conference play.

HISTORY

The 2-1 victory for the AMCATS is the first win against Lasell since the program joined the Great Northeast Athletic Conference in 2011. The AMCATS have faced the Lasers four times in the last four years and tallied their first win for the record books in today's matchup.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Senior Nick Liquori (Westfield, Mass.) netted his first goal of the season for the Lasers, while junior Christopher Mattioli (Sturbridge, Mass.) finished both goals on the day for the AMCATS. Lasell held a slim advantage in shots, 23-18 and took six corner kicks compared to Anna Maria's four.

SCORING

First Half: Anna Maria applied immediate high pressure on the Lasers' defense, as Mattioli took a long shot from outside the 18-yard-box to find the far-post netting just 51 seconds into the contest.

The Lasers responded in the 154th minute as senior Jonathan Hislop (Toronto, Ontario) chucked the ball in from an out of bounds play to find the top of Liquori's head for the equalizer goal. Liquori would find the back of the net in a similar fashion in the 26^th minute via a cross from freshman Connor Wall (East Hampton, Mass.), but the goal was ruled null and void after a hand ball in the box.

Second Half: The AMCATS continued to flood the Lasers' defensive zone in the opening plays of the second half, as Mattioli took a crack on net that was tipped by senior Miguel Colmenares (Caracas, Venezuela). In the 69^th minute, freshman Ray O'Flaherty (Westwood, Mass.) lined up for a corner kick to put Anna Maria in scoring position. An initial clear from the Lasers would keep the hosts out of trouble for the time being, however Mattioli snagged the rebound and buried a shot into the back of the net to secure the 2-1 victory.

GOALKEEPERS

Colmenares registered six saves in the effort for Lasell, while sophomore Patrick Thornberg (Wayland, Mass.) recorded his second win of the season with eight saves in the victory.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Both teams return to conference action on Wednesday, October 21. The AMCATS travel to Providence, R.I. to take on the Wildcats of Johnson and Wales at 4:00 p.m while the Lasers will host the Monks of Saint Joseph's College (Maine) for kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m.