Moon Township, Pa. – Behind a 50th-minute goal by senior Owen Pearce, the Robert Morris University men's soccer team kept its Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament hopes alive with a 1-0 victory over previously league-unbeaten Saint Francis U this afternoon on Senior Day from the North Athletic Complex.
With the victory and Sacred Heart's double-overtime win against St. Francis Brooklyn, Robert Morris (6-10-1, 4-4-0 NEC) now needs either a loss by Bryant at Central Connecticut or Fairleigh Dickinson at LIU Brooklyn to qualify for its third NEC Tournament in four seasons.
The Colonial defense was superb, limiting Saint Francis U's (9-10-3, 5-1-2 NEC) league-leading attack to 12 shot attempts and five on target. The Red Flash entered the contest averaging 1.87 goals per game and 13.67 shots per game.
It was a slow moving opening 45 minutes with both teams trying to find their footing on the North Athletic Complex pitch. The best first-half scoring opportunity came in the 32nd minute as the Red Flash had a pair of shots blocked on the edge of the 18, then Kai Olguin pushed one wide on the counter.
RMU converted on the counter in the 50th minute for the winner. After securing a ball inside the 18, Winter Fondi found Lorenzo Guagneli with a long throw down the left flank. Guagneli took a couple of dribbles before seeing Pearce streaking through the middle, catching him with a perfect pass behind the back line. The senior took a couple of touches before slotting it past Alex Morgret for his fourth goal of the season.
The Colonials nearly doubled their advantage four minutes later as Zac Sherman found Pearce, who dished it off to Cristian Palermo. Palermo ripped a riser on target, but Morgret tipped it over the bar.
In the 64th minute, Riccardo Rota tried his luck from 25 yards out and nearly caught the upper right 90, but it struck the post. Sherman found the rebound and tried to head it home, but a SFU defender managed to clear it away.
Fondi made his biggest save of the day in the 81st minute, denying Kevin Smolyn inside the 18. The rebound trickled to Tulio Canineu, who skirted it past the right post.
The redshirt senior goalkeeper made five stops to pick up his fifth clean sheet of the season. He earned an assist on Pearce's goal, the first for a Colonial netminder since Joseph Kuta on Sept. 29, 2013 against Buffalo.
The win was RMU's first over its Keystone State rivals since Oct. 14, 2012.
Robert Morris finishes its regular season with a 6-10-1 overall record a 4-4-0 mark in NEC play. The Colonials will know their NEC Tournament fate tomorrow, as both Bryant/Central Connecticut and Fairleigh Dickinson/LIU Brooklyn are scheduled for 1:00 p.m. kickoffs.
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