STANDISH, Maine – Graduate student Colin Grant (Harvard, Mass.) netted the game-winning goal on a free kick with 4:12 remaining in regulation to lift Saint Joseph's College (3-0-2) past Colby College (2-3-0), 3-2, in a hard-fought non-conference men's soccer game at the SJC Athletics Complex on Tuesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Monks struck first when senior Jackson Fotter (Gorham, Maine) scored his first goal as a Monk – following a scrum directly in front of the net - 12:10 into the game. A quick transition by the hosts resulted in a blocked shot in the box, but Fotter was there to clean up with a shot to the left side of the goal. Noah Elmore (Berlin, Vt.) was credited with an assist on the play.
The 1-0 lead remained until halftime, but the intensity was palpable in the second stanza as the back-and-forth match saw three goals, multiple acrobatic saves, and plenty of physical play. And with the game seemingly destined for overtime, Grant – who scored the winner on a free kick at Norwich on Saturday – gave his team a huge dose of déjà vu in the closing minutes.
The Mules left intermission with renewed determination, which paid off just 1:36 into the second stanza when senior Paul Hawkins (Wellesley, Mass.) hit pay dirt off a Justin Lauer (Millbrae, Calif.) pass.
Senior Kuma Onyejose (East Greenwich, R.I.) put his team back on top with his first goal of the year in the 66th minute, when he was sprung free by a Grant lead pass and beat Colby keeper Jared McNair (Penns Grove, N.J.) with a shot to the right side of the net.
Colby tied the game once again at the 79:05 mark when junior Josh Rubin (Middleton, Mass.) buried a beautiful blast into the upper left 90.
Both teams had scoring chances denied by the opposing netminder over the subsequent five minutes, but the winning tally was set up by freshman Gus Ford (Falmouth, Maine), who looked to break away from a defender but was pulled down barely outside the box, an act that resulted in a red card for the offender.
Taking the free kick from a dangerous spot about 20 yards out, Grant unleashed a shot that grazed the left goal post on its way to the upper left corner for his second game-winning goal of the season and career.
TEAM STATS:
Colby held the lead in shots (20-9), shots on goal (12-5), and corner kicks (6-4) on the evening.
THE KEEPERS:
SJC graduate student David Walbridge (Hampden, Mass.) made a career-high 10 saves in the victory while McNair played very well with two saves in the setback.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 4-6 all-time versus Colby College, a team the Monks last played on September 6th, 2016 when the Royal Blue topped the Mules by a 1-0 margin in Waterville.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will play at Amherst College on Thursday at 4:00 PM.
