Branco records his 26th goal of his career
EASTON, Mass. (October 14, 2017) – The Stonehill College men's soccer team came up short against Saint Michael's College in a 2-1 loss on Saturday afternoon on Skyhawk Field.
Stonehill's (4-9-1, 1-8-0 NE10) senior Adam Branco (Naugatuck, Connecticut/Naugatuck) tallied the lone goal for the Skyhawks with Stephen Vercollone (Pembroke, Massachusetts/Pembroke) picking up the assist.
Saint Michael's (4-7-1, 2-7-0 NE10) Cole McIntire and Adrian Diaz recorded the goals, while Matt Vlasich assisted McIntire for the helper.
Saint Michael's had an early attempt on goal, as Cole McIntire chipped the ball from the left side of the net past a diving keeper, but a Stonehill defender was able to clear the ball from the box in the sixth minute of the game.
The Skyhawks responded to the Purple Knights' pressure with an early goal, as Vercollone sent a cross from the left side for Branco to turn opposite of the defender and put the ball in the back right corner at the 12-minute mark.
Saint Michael's responded with the equalizer in the 29th minute of the game, as the Purple Knights won a header and Vlasich tipped it to McIntire for a strike inside the 18-yard box tying the game at one, 1-1.
Stonehill tallied two corners late in the first half with freshman Michael McShane (Needham, Massachusetts/Needham) send back-to-back inswingers from the left side, as one was cleared by the center of the defense and the other was low and off the near defender.
Early in the second half, Stonehill saw Saint Michael's foul, launching two free kicks, as one was driven into the defensive wall about 30 yards out and the other was cleared with a header by the defense 35 yards out.
After a corner kick by the Purple Knights that was cleared by the Skyhawks but was not kept in Stonehill's possession, Saint Michael's drew a foul resulting in a free kick from the top of the arc. The strike was a low and through the Skyhawks' defensive wall in the 68th minute of the game for a 2-1 lead. Stonehill was only able to get off three more shots in the remaining minutes of the game, before the Purple Knights picked up their second conference win of the season.
The Purple Knights outshot the Skyhawks with a total of 12 to four shots, as Stonehill tallied four saves to Saint Michael's two saves.
Stonehill travels to Saint Anselm College on Wednesday, October 18 for a 3:00 p.m. matchup.
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