Men's Soccer Opens Season With 1-0 Overtime Loss to Northeastern

Albany, N.Y. - Mike Kennedy found the back of the net in overtime to lead Northeastern to a 1-0 victory over the UAlbany men's soccer team in the season opener for both schools on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at Varsity Field.

The teams played the first two halves evenly. Northeastern (1-0) held a slim 9-8 advantage in total shots at the recess, and the squads took 10 shots apiece in the second stanza. The Huskies' first major chance to score came in the eighth minute when Josh Danesh set up Nick Lueders for a one-on-one opportunity with UAlbany goalkeeper Adrian Foncette in the box. However, Lueders was forced to go to his weak foot and Foncette came up with the save.

UAlbany (0-1) had two major chances to score right after the 30-minute mark. Claudio Dantas, the reigning America East striker of the year, found an open Bozidar Jelovac on the left side of the box. Jelovac's shot towards the far post was saved by Husky goaltender Michael Gallagher, and Shaun Kane's attempt to pot the rebound was blocked by a defender and cleared away. Just under two minutes later, Jelovac had possession of the ball again and fired an open shot from 20 yards away that barely sailed wide left of the goal. Kane and Jelovac each had an attempt to score before halftime, but their shots went high and wide.

The Great Danes had to play a man down after a red card was issued with 16:30 left to play in regulation, but the squad still stayed competitive and had its opportunities to get on the scoreboard. With under six minutes remaining, Sean Traverso cleared the ball downfield to Jelovac. The junior was able to beat the last Husky defender, but Gallagher came to the top of the box and made a key stop to keep the match scoreless. Northeastern had possession of the ball in the waning seconds, but Kennedy's shot went high before time expired.

After failing to score on five straight shot attempts to open the extra frame, the Huskies were able to net the sudden-victory goal in the 96th minute. Josh Semerene sent a blast on the right from outside the six-yard box which Foncette saved, and Kennedy collected the rebound and sent the ball to the far corner of the net to seal the victory.

UAlbany's Foncette made nine saves on 26 opportunities in the losing effort. Northeastern's Gallagher, who was making his collegiate debut, made seven stops on 18 chances and earned his first shutout and win.

The Great Danes return to action this weekend when they travel to South Carolina for the Coastal Carolina/adidas Invitational. UAlbany will face host Coastal Carolina on Friday, Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m. and Virginia Commonwealth on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 11 a.m.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information