By Carter Schum | October 28, 2024
On Saturday, the University at Albany men’s soccer team was bested by the New Hampshire Wildcats 5-1 to drop to 4-11-1 (1-4-0 in conference play) on the season.
Midfielder Timo Jansen (#19) moving the ball upfield, away from two New Hampshire players and the UAlbany side of the field.
Photo Credit: Liam Martin / The ASP
The Great Danes got on the board early in the fifth minute, as sophomore Zach Lind converted a through ball from Ander Castillo past Wildcat goalie Erik Lauta to put UAlbany up 1-0.
The Wildcats attempted to level the score quickly, firing off several shots, but the Great Dane back line held strong. New Hampshire won a freekick from a dangerous position in the 10th minute as they continued to pressure the UAlbany defense but did not break through.
The Wildcats continued to pressure the Great Danes by winning a freekick in the 18th minute, but the kick was cleared from the UAlbany zone.
The Great Danes nearly added on to their lead in the 24th minute as Ivar Orri Gissurarson shot the ball into the back of the net off an Ander Castillo header but was called offside.
The Wildcats drew level in the 26th minute as senior forward Ibrahim Conde converted a penalty kick that just missed the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Kodai Tsuzuki to level the score 1-1. The momentum stayed in favor of the Wildcats as several chances at goal were stifled by the UAlbany defense.
The Great Danes won a freekick in the dying seconds of the first half, but this was cleared out by the Wildcats.
New Hampshire carried the momentum from the first half into the second as the Wildcats won a corner within the first minute, and would have scored if not for several key blocks by the Great Dane backline that continued to bend but not break.
The Wildcats eventually broke through in the 51st minute as fifth year forward Mathew Goncalves converted a breakaway following a miscommunication amongst the UAlbany backline to put UNH in front 2-1.
The Great Danes nearly drew the game level in the 55th minute as forward Ander Castillo had an open shot at the goal but could not get it off in time as the Wildcat defense cleared the chance.
The Wildcats added a third goal as Mathew Goncalves netted his second of the game in the 61st converting a cross sent in from the right wing into the back of the UAlbany net.
Goncalves completed his three-goal hat trick just two minutes later as he headed the ball into the Great Dane net. This didn’t stop the intensity of the Wildcats as they continued to control possession in the Albany half and threatened to add to their tally.
The Great Danes won a free kick just outside the New Hampshire box in the 75th minute, however forward Ander Castillo could not get it past the wall of wildcat defenders.
Towards the end of regulation, the Wildcats added their fifth and final goal as senior Luke Fagerson slotted a deflected cross into the UAlbany net in the 79th minute. Despite a late game attempt by UAlbany to draw a goal back in the final minutes of the game, they came up short as the Wildcats capped off a dominating 5-1 victory.
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