ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Sept. 1, 2016) - Despite a 13-8 advantage in the shots column and a 6-1 edge in corner kicks, the Molloy College men's soccer team was held off the scoreboard in a 1-0 defeat to New Haven on Thursday (Sept. 1) at RVC Sports Complex in the 2016 season opener.
The beginning of the contest---scheduled for a 4 p.m. start---did not arrive until around 45 minutes later thanks to a passing September thunderstorm that delayed both teams from beginning the campaign. Once the whistles blew, the Lions controlled much of the possession and scoring chances in the opening half of action. Seniors
Mosiah Whyte (Coram, N.Y.) and
Steven Jimenez (East Elmhurst, N.Y.) had the game's first two shots in the opening ten minutes of play; Whyte's chance went wide of the goal and Jimenez saw his effort stopped by Chargers keeper Stefano Lorusso (Auckland, New Zealand). The maroon and white would collect three corner kicks in a span of five minutes near the quarter-hour mark of the contest, but shooting chances by
Kyle Poetzsch (Hicksville, N.Y.) and
Angelo Bordenca (Flushing, N.Y.) were both deflected on the way to cage. New Haven's best chance came in the 22nd minute of the first half as senior Rob Poirier (Old Lyme, Conn.) cracked an attempt on goal that was turned aside by starting goalie
Raul Bonilla (Brentwood, N.Y.). It would be the combination of Poirier and Bonilla that would see the Lions off to defeat, however, in the second half of play.
The home side continued to dominate play in the second half with four shots in the opening ten minutes of play---three by Whyte and one from freshman
Anthony Cestaro (Massapequa, N.Y.). Lorusso, however, was up to the task in his first collegiate game as he saved three of those efforts. The Chargers were then rewarded by a foul call in the Molloy 18-yard box which set up a potential penalty kick in the 58th minute. Poirier stepped up to take the one-on-one attempt with Bonilla as the game teetered towards being deadlocked no more. As Poirier drew closer, Bonilla guessed and dove to his right. While the attempt from the New Haven senior was straight on, Bonilla made a beautiful effort with his left hand to stop the initial attempt. Unfortunately for the cagekeeper and for Molloy, the soccer ball collected backspin and found its way into the goal on the first bounce. The Lions would struggle on offense the remainder of the way, save for a last-ditch effort from Whyte on a free-kick attempt in the 88th minute. Lorusso parried the shot away right to the foot of
Kenny Joseph (Great Neck, N.Y.), but the substitute could not find a clear lane through a scrum of bodies inside the six-yard rectangle; his attempt was deflected and New Haven cleared the line to keep Molloy off the scoresheet.
Whyte collected six shots to lead all players and had three shots on net in the losing effort while Poetzsch had two attempts but no shots on goal. Five other Lions attempted a shot but Lorusso's five saves over 90 minutes earned him a clean sheet and a victory in his maiden cap of NCAA soccer.
Molloy, now 0-1 on the season, will look to even up its record on Tuesday (Sept. 6) in the nightcap of a doubleheader with Caldwell University. The action at RVC Sports Complex will begin at 7 p.m. with the women's soccer contest against the same Cougars going on earlier in the afternoon at 4 p.m.
