Stonehill Beats Saint Michael’s With Late Goal, 3-2


Sophomore back Anthony Cavazza earned All-Tournament honors, helping the Skyhawks to a 3-2 win over Saint Michael's this afternoon.

Skyhawks storm back from 2-0 deficit to defeat Saint Michael's

EASTON, Mass. (September 7, 2013) – The Stonehill College men's soccer team rebounded from their season-opening loss Friday to top Saint Michael's in today's Catholic Cup consolation match, winning by a score of 3-2 at Skyhawk Field.

Senior captain Kevin Gilmartin (Pompton Plains, N.J./Pequannock) and junior defender Ben Zandonella (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor) each converted their penalty kick opportunities, and junior midfielder Will Miller (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Shoreham-Wading River) scored the go-ahead goal with just over a minute remaining in the contest to give the Skyhawks their first victory of the 2013 campaign.

Senior goalkeeper and captain Adam Colella (Wilmington, Mass./St. John's Prep) gave up two goals in the first half, but he made two second half saves, including one in a frantic final minute to preserve the win for Stonehill. The Skyhawks also got excellent defensive play from freshman back Patrick Keogh (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) and sophomore back Anthony Cavazza (New Windsor, N.Y./Cornwall) to help shut the door on Saint Michael's.


Freshman back Patrick Keogh earned All-Tournament honors for Stonehill as well.

For the second day in a row, Stonehill fell behind early in the contest. Saint Michael's sophomore midfielder Jack Loud (Richmond, Vt./Mount Mansfield Union) put the Purple Knights ahead 16 minutes into the game, and then O.J. Rivas (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep) scored on a header off a cross from Anthony Stanley (La Ceiba, Honduras/Saint Johnsbury Academy) to give the visitors a 2-0 advantage. Stonehill would get on the board right before halftime, when Zandonella ripped his penalty kick chance past Purple Knights keeper Nicco Roque (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep) in the 44th minute, after Saint Michael's was whistled for a handball in the penalty area. Gilmartin converted his penalty kick in the 68th minute, and that set the stage for Miller's heroics in the 88th minute.

Stonehill (1-1-0, 0-0-0 NE-10) will be back in action this Wednesday at 4 p.m., when they take on Mercy College (N.Y.) in a non-conference road contest. The Skyhawks then return to Stonehill next Saturday to open up their 2013 Northeast-10 slate with a match against Saint Rose at 1 p.m. at Skyhawk Field. In last year's match-up, Stonehill doubled up Saint Rose, 4-2, on October 20th in Albany, N.Y. Saint Michael's is also on the road in their next contest, as they will travel to Lyndon State to take on the Hornets September 11th.

In the other game held today at Skyhawk Field, Assumption shut out Saint Anselm, 3-0, on the strength of two goals from freshman forward Ethan Morrow (Huntington Beach, Calif./Hyde) to claim the inaugural Catholic Cup championship trophy.

Morrow was one of four Greyhounds selected to the Catholic Cup All-Tournament team, the others being senior backs Michael Agbortoko (Beau, Cameroon/Southbridge) and Lucas Spina (Holliston, Mass./Holliston), as well as senior midfielder and tournament MVP Max Roche (Medway, Mass./Medway). Saint Anselm's representatives were freshman midfielder Jack Lynch (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth), sophomore forward Sean Smith (Hampstead, N.H./Pinkerton Academy), and sophomore midfielder Ian Theriault (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack). Rounding out the All-Tournament team is junior midfielder Philip McCormick (Starksboro, Vt./Mount Abraham Union) and junior forward Colby Ajoku (Weymouth, Mass./BC High) from Saint Michael's, and defenders Cavazza and Keogh from host Stonehill. Both Cavazza and Keogh played all 90 minutes of each Catholic Cup contest for the Skyhawks.

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