Newton, MA—With seven seconds remaining in overtime, Haverford College picked up a 2-1 decision over Lasell College men's soccer when David Restrepo (Houston, TX) converted on last-chance shot on Thursday night at Taylor Field. With the non-conference victory, the Fords improve to 7-3-2 this season, while the Lasers level out at 6-6-1.
Haverford set a solid pace from the opening moments, maintaining possession through the majority of the first half. The Fords had many good scoring opportunities including a near-make at 7:34 when Max Stossel (New York, NY) drove a high attempt from six yards out which was knocked away by Lasell defender Dan Gleason (Weymouth, MA) in a fantastic save.
One minute later, Lasell had a close-call when Dan Hatch (Avon, MA) booted a shot which was deflected by the Ford's goaltender Jamey Applegate (Bloomington, IN) redirecting the shot to fall just wide of Haverford's net.
Colin Lubelczyk (Gorham, ME) created another chance for the visitors in the 22nd minute when he broke down the left field and launched from just inside the eighteen. The shot just barely skimmed outside of the Lasers' net.
A Laser foul in the 27th minute turned into a direct kick from 25 yards out on the left side, which set up the Ford's first goal. Matthew Wetherell (Lyme, NH) took the direct kick which sailed over the defense and bounced off the foot of Restrepo who waited at the opposite corner to connect at point-blank range.
The 1-0 lead stood for Haverford through the half. The Fords more than doubled Lasell's shots in the half, taking 13 to Lasell's five. Laser goalkeeper Matthew Bruninghaus (Plymouth, MA) made five stops in the period while Applegate turned away two Lasers shots.
Haverford opened the second half in the same intensity of play as the first, producing their first shot off another free kick which was saved by Bruninghaus.
Lasell also came out with a renewed motivation in the second frame, which led to tying the score in the 20th minute. Hatch ultimately evened the score after he and Evan Gaccione (Westerly,RI) tore down field in a two-on-one situation with Applegate. Gaccione sent a through-pass to Hatch who tucked it just inside the near post.
The Laser goal seemed to shift momentum in their favor as the hosts went on a rally to produce two close-calls over the following few minutes. Kyle Cronin (Weymouth, MA) fashioned a give-and-go from Gaccione at 71:48 as he sprinted down the right side of the field to challenge Applegate who came out of net and dove to secure the ball.
Less than a minute later, James Clancy (Chicopee, MA) received a chance to score off when the Lasers were awarded a direct kick which landed just wide of the Fords' net.
Haverford's Alejandro Rettig y Martinez (Santa Fe, NM) redirected a free kick with his head in the final minutes of the contest to attempt to put the game away, but Bruninghaus thwarted this final attempt and the teams faced an overtime session.
The squads battled through the extra session each creating two shot opportunities. As the time ticked off the clock and darkness settling onto the field, Rettig y Martinez sent a pass to Restrepo who lodged it into the top shelf and closed the contest, 2-1, in Haverford's favor.
Bruninghaus came away with 14 saves in a phenomenal showing between the pipes for Lasell. Applegate tallied five saves in the victory for Haverford.
The Lasers return to action on Saturday, October 16th, at 2:30 p.m. when they face Great Northeast Athletic Conference contenders Albertus Magnus College. That date also marks Family, Friends, and Alumni Weekend at Lasell College, as well as senior day for the four men's soccer seniors, Hatch, Stephen Petrin (Vernon, CT), Sean Fisher (Griswold, CT), and Joshua Martinez (Milton, MA).