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Football / Stags Show A Lot Of Hope In 1-0 Win Over Adelphi
« on: September 24, 2007, 12:40:41 AM »Stags Show A Lot Of Hope In 1-0 Win Over Adelphi
Sep 22, 2007
FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- It's all about adapting and adjusting to what the situation presents. With the offense held in check during the first half, Head Coach Carl Rees made a halftime adjustment that sparked the offense and created a 1-0 win over Adelphi University at Lessing Field on Saturday night.
Rees inserted Aldo Hope into the starting lineup for the second half, and the junior did not disappoint. His passing opened up several opportunties for his teammates and put more pressure on a stretched Adelphi defense.
The Stags scored the game's only goal in the 54th minute when Hope collected a ball on the near side and made a run toward the center of the field. Drawing a defender, Hope sent a ball to the far side of the box that found Christian Uy in full stride. Uy released a shot that Adelphi goalkeeper Vincent Treglia managed to deflect. The rebound came directly back to Uy who sent a second shot back on goal that found the back of the net.
"It was a great pass from Hope," Uy said after the game. "Once it got by the defenders, it set me up one on one with the goalkeeper."
While the game moved slowly for the first 70 minutes, both sides picked up the pace in the second half. When opportunities presented themselves, both goalkeepers managed to cut down angles or make saves that kept the score at 1-0. Fairfield goalkeeper Jon Paul Francini made three saves in the second half, all of which came late in the game.
With six minutes remaining in the second half, Patrick Figueiredo broke free in the box off a free kick and deflected the ball toward the upper corner with his head. Francini dove to his right and caught the ball fully extended to keep his team in front. Just two minutes later, Kemalie Preston sent a ball into the box that skipped past a defender and went toward goal. Figueiredo made a run at the ball, but Francini just got to the ball before him and ended the threat.
The Stags nearly put the game away at the two minute mark when a brillant run by David Piedrahita nearly resulted in a goal. The sophomore dribbled past two defenders, spun past a third and found open space near the far corner. He sent a cross to the middle of the box which Sam Bailey ran down. He put the ball on goal with a header that eluded the goalkeeper but found the cross bar and was cleared away by the Adelphi defense.
"We did what we needed to win and that's what is most important," Rees said. "In the second half, we showed character and determination against a feisty Adelphi team. We know what it takes to win and we did that tonight."
Fairfield returns to action on Wednesday, September 26 when it hosts Hartwick at Lessing Field. Game time is slated for 7 pm.