The men’s soccer team won the MAAC Championship in comeback fashion this past Sunday, Nov. 16, with a 2-1 victory in a double-overtime thriller against Fairfield. It is the Hawks first MAAC Championship in only their second year as members of the conference after falling to Quinnipiac in last year’s title game.
“It’s absolutely special,” said head coach Robert McCourt after the game. “We talked all year about sticking with the game plan and getting through these tough moments with the injuries we had, especially today. No matter who has to step in a get the job done for us, they will.”
Before the final against Fairfield, MU still had to get by Iona in the tournaments semifinal, and they did just that. The Hawks came away with a 2-1 victory in a fast-paced contest where the two teams combined for 40 total shots.
After a scoreless first half, the blue and white finally pushed across the game’s first goal off of a corner kick in the 47th minute of play. Junior defender Derek Luke took the corner for the Hawks, and delivered a beautiful ball into the box just about ten yards from the net. Fellow defender, and senior, Matt Jeffery found himself on the receiving end of the cross, and headed the ball just inside the post and past the Iona keeper to put the Hawks on top 1-0.
Over the next 20 minutes both teams saw legitimate scoring opportunities, but it was MU who again capitalized on one of these chances when freshman midfielder Andrew Gee took pass from senior midfielder Bryant Avalos and found the back of the net to increase the Hawks lead to two in the 65th minute.
Gee’s goal ultimately proved to be the game winner, as the Gaels finally got on the scoreboard in the 78th minute when Iona’s Teddy Forson rocketed a shot past MU sophomore goalie Eric Klenofsky. Things only got tougher for the Hawks from that point as Iona continued to put pressure on MU’s defense. It appeared the Gaels pressure would pay off just seven minutes later when Forson had an open net after controlling the rebound from a Klenofsky save, but luck was on the Hawks side as Forson’s shot sailed high over the crossbar. With just five minutes remaining that would be the last chance for Iona to get the equalizer, and the blue and white held on to advance to the championship final.
The championship matchup may have come as a surprise to some, as the Hawks were seeded fourth in the bracket while Fairfield was the sixth and final seed. The Stags upset third seeded Rider in the tournament’s first round with a 1-0 victory, and then took down top seed, and defending champion, Quinnipiac on penalty kicks in their semifinal contest. However, the two teams meeting to decide the MAAC Championship was no surprise to coach McCourt. “Fairfield is a very good team,” said McCourt. “And we’ve talked all year about how we feel we’re the best team in the league and we feel were an NCAA Tournament team.”
In the teams’ lone regular season meeting neither could gain the upper-hand, as the game went into two overtimes, and eventually ended in a scoreless tie. It was evident from the starting whistle that this contest would be no different than the first.
MU saw the game’s first scoring threat after just ten minutes of play when senior defender Emmanuel Senyah Agyemang controlled the ball and put a shot on net. Unfortunately, for the Hawks, the Fairfield keeper, Matt Turner, stayed under control and made the save. Goalkeeping would prove to be the story for the rest of the first half, as each keeper made two saves to keep the game scoreless heading into halftime.
As the second period began, the Hawks managed to gain a slight advantage in time of possession, and it appeared the blue and white had the upper hand. However, despite MU holding a 9-3 advantage in shots during the second half, it was Fairfield who was able to break through first.
After Miller made a diving save on a header from Gee, the Stags were able to gain possession and push the ball into the Hawks end of the field. Then, in the 72nd minute, Stag forward Jordan Ayris ripped a shot from outside of the box that beat Klenofsky to the upper right hand corner, and gave Fairfield a 1-0 lead with less than 18 minutes remaining in regulation.
Things seemed bleak for the Hawks as time crept all the way into the 80th minute with the team still down a goal. Momentum then abruptly changed when Fairfield player Angus Hastings was called for a foul that resulted in a penalty kick for MU, and Agyemang stayed cool under pressure to beat Turner on the PK and tie the game at one.
Hastings foul was a double-whammy for the Stags, as it also resulted in a red card which gave the Hawks a man advantage for the rest of the contest. MU nearly capitalized on the advantage right away, but Turner saved two shot attempts from sophomore forward Dave Nigro in the final three minutes, and the game headed into overtime.
Having an extra man proved extremely beneficial for MU in the first overtime period. The blue and white completely dominated the ball, but Turner again came up big for Fairfield with a key save on a Luke shot in the 99th minute to send the game into a second overtime.
Nigro’s efforts at the end of regulation seemed to foreshadow how the game would end. Just over three minutes into the second overtime, Nigro gained control of the ball near the top of the box off another Turner save, and found the back of the net in the lower right corner to give MU the win, and the MAAC Championship title.
“I knew as soon as I hit it that that game was over,” explained Nigro. “Once I saw it fly into the net I couldn’t even describe it. It feels amazing, there’s nothing better to be honest.”
Klenofsky was brilliant once again during the two contests, making nine total saves and giving his team the chance to win both contests. Agyemang was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, and Nigro, Jeffery, and Luke were all named to the All-MAAC Tournament Team.
With the MAAC Championship now in their rear-view mirror, the Hawks look forward to the upcoming NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the past nine seasons. The team will travel to Cincinnati for a matchup with Xavier University in the first round of the tournament this Thursday, November 20.
PHOTO COURTESY of Greg Ott
