No. 2 Notre Dame 1, Boston College 1
NEWTON, Mass. -- Boston College played No. 2 Notre Dame to a 1-1 draw on Saturday night in front of a capacity crowd of 2,000 at Newton Campus Field.
Freshman Isaac Normesinu notched his first collegiate goal in the 17th minute to put the Eagles on top 1-0. Harrison Shipp scored 12 seconds later for Notre Dame to tie the match. Boston College played the last 50 minutes with 10 men after a red card was issued.
The first 45 was played at a frantic pace with Notre Dame having a 6-1 edge in shots. BC only needed one shot to score first in the 17th minute. Normesinu used strong footwork on the right side of the pitch to beat the man on him and get open. When he was at the top of the box, he ripped a low shot past the keeper to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
Notre Dame responded 12 seconds later as the BC goal announcement was still being read. The Irish took the kickoff down the field where Vince Cicciarelli handled the ball on the right side. He sent a low cross into the box to Harrison Shipp who finished it off for the equalizer.
Notre Dame controlled much of the second half possession but it was BC who had the first quality chance. Sophomore Derrick Boateng sent a corner kick into the box that senior Nick Corliss put a head on. The ball bounced toward the goal, but a ND defender kicked it to safety.
Disaster struck in the 61st minute for the Eagles when a red card forced them to play with 10 men. BC had to play defensively for the last 50 minutes and allowed seven Notre Dame shots.
Notre Dame took all of its shots in overtime in the first extra session. The Irish nearly put in the golden goal with three minutes left when Hodan sent a cross into the box. An Irish member missed the ball but it bounced right to Nick Besler who had an open net. His low shot missed the far post by inches.
Neither side attempted a shot in the second overtime.
Patrick Wall made one save in goal for Notre Dame (3-0-3, 1-0-2 ACC).
No. 5 Creighton 1, No. 7 St. John's 0
OMAHA, Neb. -– No. 5 Creighton claimed program win No. 400 all-time as well as its first victory in the Jays’ Big East Conference opener in dramatic fashion Saturday night against No. 7 St. John’s at Morrison Stadium.
In the Jays’ third consecutive double-overtime contest this season, CU freshman Fabian Herbers scored the lone goal of the match off of a free kick at 108:05 to give the Jays a thrilling 1-0 decision against the Red Storm. The goal was Herbers’ second score of the season, both game-winning tallies.
Both teams stepped up their defensive efforts in the game as neither squad could put together scoring chances very easily. Creighton (5-1-0, 1-0-0 BIG EAST) came out on top in shot attempts 13-9 while St. John’s (5-2-0, 0-1-0 BIG EAST) attempted two corners to just one for the Jays in the match.
Creighton goalkeeper Alex Bolowich earned his fifth win of the season to go to 5-1-0, making three saves in 108 minutes of action. Bolowich made a last-second save in regulation to send the match into overtime. Rafael Diaz of St. John’s made one save for the Red Storm and dropped to 5-2-0 in 2013.
Coastal Carolina 1, No. 8 Virginia Commonwealth 0
RICHMOND, Va. -- Coastal Carolina scored less than a minute into the match and held on to the lead to earn a victory against No. 8 Virgina Commonwealth. The score was 1-0 Saturday night at Sports Backers Stadium.
The Chanticleers, who were ranked as high as No. 12 just two weeks ago, snapped the Rams' four-game unbeaten streak.
After VCU goalkeeper Andrew Wells dove to knock away a cross following a throw in, Ricky Garbanzo fired the deflection into the lower left corner for a 1-0 Chantacleers lead.
The game held many scoring opportunities for both teams and VCU made one final push in the 89th minute when Devin Cook came up with a diving snag on a strike by Manel from about five yards out following a free kick.
VCU held a 13-7 advantage in shots, including a 4-3 edge in shots on goal.
Jose Manel finished with a game-high three shots, while Dennis Castillo, senior Nate Shiffman, sophomore Devon Fisher and Herrera Meraz added two apiece.
Cook made four saves, including a stop on a PK and on VCU's final look in the 89th minute.
No. 9 Wake Forest 2, Pittsburgh 0
PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Ninth-ranked Wake Forest scored twice in the first 12 minutes of the game and continued its offensive pressure throughout the contest, as the Demon Deacons defeated Pitt 2-0 in the first meeting between the two schools on Saturday night at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
With the win, Wake Forest remains undefeated in the ACC at 3-0-0 and moves to 4-2-0 on the season overall. After the completion of all weekend action, the Demon Deacons are the only team in the conference with nine points and sit alone atop the ACC standings. The Panthers move to 0-3-2 overall and 0-3-0 in conference action.
Michael Gamble made his first start of the season and had a tremendous impact on the game with a goal and an assist. The goal was his second of the year, while the assist was his first.
Andy Lubahn also scored his third goal of the season, while Luca Gimenez dished out his third assist. Lubahn now has 25 goals for his career, putting him in a tie for 10th place all-time with Nigel McNamara (1987-90). He is also just one goal behind John Duguid (1989-92) for ninth place.
The Demon Deacons outshot the Panthers 23-6. Twelve of Wake Forest's shots were on goal, but Pitt goalkeeper Dan Lynd was able to keep the score at 2-0 thanks to 10 saves. Gimenez had nine of the Deacs' shots, five of which were on goal.
Alec Ferrell also earned his second-career shutout in goal for Wake Forest, making three saves in the process.
Wake Forest dominated the first half, outshooting Pitt 10-1 during the first 45 minutes. The Panthers did not attempt their first shot until 42nd minute of the game.
Gamble got the Demon Deacons on the board in just the eighth minute of the game. Gimenez dribbled the ball from the left side of the field into the middle and played a through ball for Gamble who was able find the back of the net.
Less than four minutes later, Lubahn put Wake Forest up 2-0. Gamble chipped the ball to the far post, and Lubahn was able to beat Lynd to the ball to make the sliding finish. Wake Forest took six more shots during the first half but was never able to go up by three.
Jared Watts came the closest to scoring in the second half. After collecting a short pass from Sam Fink in the box, Watts turned and fired, but his shot ricocheted off the cross bar in the 58th minute.
No. 12 Conneticut 2, No. 10 Saint Louis 1
TORRS, Conn. -- In a battle of ranked foes, No. 12 Connecticut defeated the 10th-ranked Saint Louis Billikens 2-1 on Saturday night in men’s soccer action at Morrone Stadium.
With the win, Connecticut improves to 3-2-1 on the season, while Saint Louis falls to 4-2.
Connecticut midfielder Cyle Larin scored his team-leading second goal of the season at the 17:20 minute mark after receiving a pass in the box from junior midfielder Adria Beso. Larin turned with the ball, and fired a shot in the right side of the net past Saint Louis goalkeeper Nick Shackelford.
In the 51st minute, midfielder Ethan Decker gave UConn a 2-0 lead after bending a free kick from 25 yards over a Saint Louis wall of defenders and into the corner of the net. The goal was Decker’s first as a Husky and the first score for Connecticut in a second half this season.
Saint Louis made things interesting in the 71st minute, when Billiken midfielder Alex Sweetin scored on a penalty kick after a Connecticut defender was called for a hand ball in the box. Sweetin’s shot slipped by the outstretched hands of Blake into the top left corner of the goal.
Connecticut freshman defender Kwame Awuah nearly had Connecticut’s third goal of the night in the 59th minute when he ripped a shot from the top of the box toward the top half of the goal. The ball deflected off the hands of a leaping Shackelford, who had five saves on the night.
Saturday’s result was the first time UConn scored two goals in a match this season, as the Connecticut offense looked as good as it has all season.
UConn’s defense remained tough throughout the second half, giving up just one shot in the final 45 minutes. Connecticut held Saint Louis, who came into the game averaging 16.8 shots a game, to just four shots the entire night. Andre Blake finished the game with one save as he earned his third victory of the season.
