AMCATS Rally to Defeat Men's Soccer 3-2

PAXTON, Mass. (9/10/16) — Lasell College dropped a 3-2 decision to the Anna Maria College men's soccer team on Saturday afternoon in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener for both teams. The loss drops Lasell to 0-3 while the win boosts the AMCATS to 1-2.

The Lasers took an early 1-0 lead as Kenan Omerbasic (Windsor Locks, Conn.) scored in the sixth minute, but Anna Maria scored three goals in a row over the next 47 minutes to take a 3-1 lead in the second half.

Both teams took nine shots apiece in the first half, but Lasell held a 10-8 edge in shots in the second half. The Lasers also held a 7-3 advantage in corner kicks over the 90-minute contest.

Lasell's second goal of the day came in the 89^th minute by Omerbasic who scored both Lasell goals to bookend the match.

AMCAT senior captain Christopher Mattioli (Sturbrigde, Mass.) scored at the 14-minute mark as he intercepted a misfire by Lasell goalkeeper Patrick McAvoy (Stony Point, N.Y.) and took advantage of his position by tapping it past McAvoy.

Fifteen minutes later, sophomore Dan McElhinney (Natick, Mass.) threw a long ball from the sideline to the far post, where freshman Gift Kalombo (Worcester, Mass.) was waiting to stuff it in. The AMCATS carried the 2-1 lead into halftime.

In the 53^rd minute, junior Derrick Casey (Worcester, Mass.) was awarded a penalty kick, which he drilled in for the third AMCAT goal of the game.

McAvoy took the loss for Lasell and made three saves in 49:02 before being pulled. Jackson Burhans (Berlin, N.Y.) made two saves in relief. AMCAT netminder Mark Robinshaw (Ashford, Conn.) stopped six shots on net today en route to his first collegiate victory.

The win marks the second-in-a-row for Anna Maria. The series record now sits at 2-4 dating back to 2011.

Both teams return to non-conference action on Wednesday, as Lasell hosts Regis College at 4:00 p.m. while Anna Maria hosts Springfield College at 7:00 p.m.

Recap Courtesy of Anna Maria Sports Information