Men's Soccer Battles to Scoreless Draw

Loudonville, N.Y. - Adrian Foncette made 10 saves and recorded his fourth career shutout as the UAlbany men's soccer team played Siena to a 0-0 double-overtime tie in a non-conference match between the Capital Region programs on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at Siena Turf Field.

After a very physical first half which did not feature any good scoring opportunities for either side, both teams finally got their chances to net the match's first goal just before the midway point of the second stanza. Siena, which was ranked third in the most recent NSCAA/adidas North Atlantic regional poll, made the first bid in the 61st minute when defender Nick Viaggio cleared the ball up the middle to Joe Tavernese, creating a two-on-one advantage for the Saints against a Great Dane defender. The forward slipped a pass to Bobby Di Filippo for an open look on the right side, but the senior's attempt with only Foncette to beat went high of the cage. Di Fillipo had another strong opportunity to net a goal in the 64th, but Ian Peach stuffed his shot from the top of the box.

UAlbany quickly came back the other way, as Shaun Kane beat a defender and had an open look at the net from 15 yards out on the right side. However, goalkeeper Phil Chabot made a diving save at his aim for the far post.

A total of eleven cards and 41 fouls were issued in the match. The Great Danes were forced to play a man down after the 69th minute when a player picked up a second yellow card which turned into a red. Di Fillipo made another bid to put the Saints on the board three minutes later, but Foncette made a leaping save to keep the match scoreless.

In the extra periods, Tavernese almost scored the golden goal with an arching shot which Foncette leaped and punched away in the nick of time. Siena earned a corner kick in the waning seconds, but Claudio Dantas cleared the ball away to force another extra session.

With UAlbany still playing a man down, Konner McNamara had the closest chance of the entire match to score when he took a pass from Peach and hammered a header to the near post from just outside the six-yard box. The attempt was saved by Chabot in the 106th minute. Siena failed to capitalize on a corner kick with 50 seconds left, and the tension-filled match ended in a scoreless tie.

UAlbany's Foncette faced 25 shots in earning his first clean sheet of the year. Siena's Chabot made nine saves on 12 opportunities in his first-ever shutout effort. The Great Danes wrap up non-conference play when they visit Holy Cross on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m.


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information