Box Score
(Video highlights by Tanner Acebo, Norwich Sports Information)
NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Freshman forward Alec Brigante (Colchester, Vt.) scored in the 15th minute, while junior goalkeeper Greg Payne (State College, Pa.) made four saves to lead the Norwich University men's soccer team to a 1-0 win over Albertus Magnus College on Saturday night at Sabine Field.
In a rematch of last year's Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament Championship, the Cadets (4-1-1, 1-0-0 GNAC) once again shutout Albertus Magnus (1-4-0, 0-1-0 GNAC) for the fourth straight time. However, after falling to the Falcons in penalty kicks in last year's title game, NU enacted a little revenge prevailing in their 2013 league opener in front of one of the largest crowds in NU men's soccer history.
"We knew it was going to be a battle and a one-goal game so we knew we couldn't give anything up and that's what we did," said NU head coach Kyle Dezotell. "Our bread and butter is defending. We're thrilled to get a win against the defending champions to start off the GNAC season and also to get a little bit of retribution for them ending our season last year."
Brigante notched the third goal of his rookie season in the 15th minute when he headed home a ball inside the six-yard box past Albertus Magnus goalkeeper Donato Piroscafo. Senior defender Ryan Campbell (Damascus, Md.) set up the scoring chance by flicking the ball into the box and senior forward Anthony Amell (Northfield, Vt.) deflected it with his head just enough to get it past Piroscafo and allow for Brigante to find the back of the net.
"I was standing on the back post with no one on me and the ball came in, it bounced up and I just threw my body at it and hoped it went in," Brigante said. "I didn't even see it go in but I heard everyone yelling."
Albertus Magnus outshot Norwich 12-6, but the Falcons only threatened with serious chances a couple of times. Their best chance of the match came in the 69th minute when Lindsley Barrett blasted a shot from 20 yards out that Payne was able to deflect away. However, the NU keeper couldn't control the rebound and the ball bounced right to the feet of Tyler Peloquin, who rushed a shot and got too far under it and sailed it high over the cross bar.
Albertus Magnus controlled the play for a majority of the second half, but Norwich had two quality scoring chances of its own turned aside by great saves from the reigning GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year in Piroscafo.
The Falcons' keeper robbed Campbell on a bicycle kick in the 76th minute with a lunging save to his left to deflect the ball away from the upper right corner of the net. Piroscafo also stoned freshman midfielder Moab Schiers (South Weber, Utah) in the final minute of the game by coming out and sticking his leg out to deflect Schiers' shot away after he was in all alone off a through ball from Amell.
Payne extended his shutout streak to start the season to 330:52 and dating back to last season, he hasn't allowed a goal in 459:41. Payne is now 4-0-1 on the season and Norwich has shutout Albertus Magnus for 411:36 straight minutes.
The two teams have ended each other's seasons for the last four years and Norwich now holds a 10-8-3 lead in the all-time series between the conference rivals.
Norwich will continue its home stand on Monday, Sept. 16 when it hosts Eastern Nazarene in a non-conference matchup slated to kickoff at 7 p.m. at Sabine Field.
"I've been here for eight years and we've never had a crowd like we had tonight," Dezotell said. "To get the Corps and the Rooks down here is huge. It's important to win the game when you have a crowd like that and we did that so hopefully they'll all come back out Monday night."
-CADETS-
