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Albertus Magnus Athletics

Falcons End Season in Heartbreaking Fashion With 3-2 Double Overtime Loss

Falcons End Season in Heartbreaking Fashion With 3-2  Double Overtime Loss

Colchester, VT- Senior Chris Rivet scored on a long restart less than three minutes into double overtime to lift the fourth-seeded Norwich University men's soccer team past fifth-seeded Albertus Magnus College, 3-2, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament quarterfinal match.  The game was played at Duffy Field on the campus of Saint Michael's College due to poor field conditions at NU's Howard Field. Senior Bobby Begin and freshman Bridger Van Ness also chipped in offensively for the host Cadets, registering one goal apiece.  Albertus Magnus (10-7-1) opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, when sophomore forward Jamal Howard (West Haven, CT) placed a feed from sophomore forward Mike DaSilva (Stratford, CT) under the crossbar to put the Falcons up 1-0. The goal came in transition, when DaSilva hit Howard with a pass from the left side into the box.  Van Ness jump-started a listless Norwich offense early in the second half when he curled a shot just inside the left post in the 56th minute. The defender beat two Falcon players to a loose ball and unleashed a low rocket of a shot from 30 yards out that found the back of the net for his first goal of the season and tied the game at 1-1.  Norwich (10-6-2) kept the momentum in their favor when Begin scored off a scramble in front of the net in the 77th minute to give the Cadets their first lead of the afternoon. The play started when Van Ness shot a low pass across the box to the left post where sophomore Ryan Robertson's shot was saved by senior goalkeeper Gerald O'Connor (Hamden, CT).  Bobby Begin was there to pounce on the rebound and put it in the open net. Van Ness and Robertson were each credited with assists on the goal.  The Falcons battled back almost immediately to tie the score at 2-2 just two minutes later when freshman forward Taylor Sasloe (Norwalk, CT) lofted a high shot in transition over the head of Norwich senior goalkeeper Charles Maxwell.  Freshman forward Nick Hamasian (Hamden, CT) assisted on the tally, which came at the 79:06 mark.  Neither team managed to find the net in the remainder of regulation and through the first 10-minute sudden victory overtime period.  Rivet's game winning goal came in the second overtime session, when Albertus Magnus was whistled for a foul just inside the center circle. He lined up the ball and blasted a shot that carried and tucked into the right side of the net to end the game. The overtime game-winner was Rivet's fifth goal of the season. Senior keeper Gerald O'Connor finished the game with seven saves in a losing effort.  The Falcons end their season in heartbreaking fashion after a successful regular season to finish the season 10-7-1, 5-4 GNAC.  The Falcons will return the vast majority of its team this season losing just O'Connor in goal and returning their young team next season.