STANDISH, Maine – The Norwich University men's soccer team battled back in the second half, but Saint Joseph's College of Maine held on for a 3-2 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory over the Cadets on Tuesday evening at the Saint Joseph's Athletics Complex.
The Monks built a two-goal advantage in the opening half, finding the back of the net in the 25th minute before adding another tally in the 42nd minute to take a 2-0 lead into halftime.
Norwich responded early in the second half, as freshman Cristian Habiniak (North Branford, Conn.) found the back of the net in the 48th minute to cut the deficit to one. The goal marked Habiniak's second of the season and gave the Cadets an early spark coming out of the break.
Saint Joseph's restored its two-goal cushion in the 60th minute, but Norwich answered almost immediately. Sophomore Daniel Hennessey (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) scored just 21 seconds later, finishing a ball from junior Ben Rubinstein (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) to bring the Cadets back within one at 3-2.
The Cadets continued to pressure the Monks in the closing stages, generating several scoring opportunities and earning a flurry of corner kicks as they searched for the equalizer. Norwich finished with 10 corner kicks, compared to six for Saint Joseph's, but could not find the tying goal before the final whistle.
Junior goalkeeper Victor Kalorin (Raleigh, N.C.) recorded seven saves in the full 90 minutes, including a second-half penalty kick stop that kept Norwich within a distance to find an equalizer or even a go ahead goal.
The Cadets finished with 14 shots, including eight on target, while Saint Joseph's recorded 25 shots and 10 on goal.
Norwich returns to action as it continues its GNAC schedule at University of St. Joseph's Connecticut at 5pm.
