STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (4-3-1, 1-1-0 GNAC) topped University of Maine-Farmington (3-3-0, 1-0-0 NAC), 3-1, in a non-conference men's soccer contest at
Westerlea Way Field on Tuesday afternoon. Freshman forward
Brett Mattos (Mahopac, N.Y.) scored what proved to be the game winner off a
Ralph Houanche (Port-au-Prince, Haiti) pass in the 52nd minute. All three of the Monks' goals were scored by players who are currently in their first year with the SJC program.
Junior midfielder
Johnny Thomas (Boston, Mass.) lifted the hosts to an early lead, scoring his fifth goal of the season at the 4:57 mark off a deflection. Maine-Farmington junior midfielder Ibrahim Achekh (Aboudeia, Chad) tapped in a header off an Austin Dooley (Buckfield, Maine) feed nine minutes later, knotting the contest at 1-1.
The eventual game-winner was set up by a well-placed corner kick off the foot of Houanche at the 51:24 mark. Kicking from the right of UMF keeper Matt Wilson (Hamden, Conn.), Houanche launched the ball into the box, eventually finding Mattos who drove a shot into the lower center of the net, making it a 2-1 game with 38:36 remaining.
The Monks tacked on an insurance goal in the 61st minute, as Mattos was fouled in the box setting up a penalty kick for freshman
Dalton Gaumer (Riverside, Calif.), who let fly a kick into the right corner for the first goal of his NCAA career. Wilson guessed left and dove in that direction to no avail.
The Beavers had a pair of prime opportunities, both penalty kicks, in the final 15 minutes of play, but SJC senior keeper
Scott Benner (Post Falls, Idaho) proved up to the task on both bids. Junior midfielder Henry Ametti (Skowhegan, Maine) was the first to shoot from the dot, but was denied on a diving stop to the right by Benner at the 75:03 mark. Almost exactly nine minutes later, senior Uriah Forest-Bulley (Turner Falls, Mass.) lined up for his chance after a foul in the box, but Benner made another huge save, this time lunging to the left, preserving the 3-1 margin in the process.
Saint Joseph's held meager advantages in both shots (12-10) and corner kicks (4-1) in the victory. Benner made four saves for the Monks while Wilson totaled three stops for the Beavers on the afternoon.
Saint Joseph's travels to University of Maine-Presque Isle for a 2:00 PM non-conference game on Friday. Maine-Farmington hosts conference-rival Maine Maritime Academy on Saturday at 1:00 PM.
BEYOND THE BOX:- With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 7-17-4 all-time versus Maine-Farmington and has not lost to the Beavers since 2007, with a 7-0-1 record against them over the last eight years
- Today's win marks the second occasion in which the Monks have won consecutive contests under the watch of second-year Head Coach Adrian Dubois
- Thomas leads the Monks with five goals through eight games, a total which would have placed him a tie for last season's final leader (Austin Bell, five goals in 19 games)
UP NEXT:- St. Joe's is 13-10-1 in the history of the series with Maine-Presque Isle and defeated the Owls by a 5-0 margin at Westerlea Way Field last fall
- The Monks have defeated the Owls in four consecutive meetings with all four wins being of the shutout variety
