NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – There was a flare of drama at the end of the Stonehill men's soccer match against non-conference Merrimack College as the Skyhawks earned their first win of the season in an epic road victory on Thursday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Skyhawks and Warriors battled each other to a 0-0 tie throughout the first half. However, five minutes into the second period, Merrimack broke up stalemate knocking the ball passed Nelton Semedo.
Stonehill continued to keep the pressure on Merrimack. With 20 minutes remaining on the clock, senior
Owen Burke drew a foul inside the box to earn himself a penalty kick. One-on-one with Semedo, Burke drilled the equalizer into the lower left corner of the net.
Merrimack regained the lead seven minutes later to take a 2-1 advantage. It's where the game stood until the final four minutes of play, when excitement entered the stadium. Sophomore
James Forrest-Hay scored in the 85
th minute to tie the game at two and swing momentum back over to the Skyhawks bench.
With renewed sense of energy, the Skyhawks kept pressure on the Warriors. Senior
Jared Rapoza buried the game-winner with two seconds remaining in the contest to give the Skyhawks the victory.
STONEHILL HIGHLIGHTS
- Senior Jared Rapoza scored the game-winning goal with two seconds remaining in the contest for his first goal of the season.
- Fellow senior Owen Burke notched his first goal of the season, scoring the Skyhawks first goal of the game on a penalty kick in the 69th minute.
- Sophomore James Forrest-Hay notched his first goal of the season in the 85th minute.
UP NEXT
Stonehill returns to the pitch on Labor Day, Monday, September 1. Kickoff slated for 4 p.m.
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