.png&type=webp){kind=icon}
.png&type=webp)
University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
St. Bonaventure
St. Bonaventure Earns 1-0 Win Over Men's Soccer
November 01, 2009 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 1, 2009
AMHERST, Mass. - Fabrizio Savarino scored the game-winning goal in the 31st minute as St. Bonaventure defeated the UMass men's soccer team 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at Rudd Field. The match was the regular-season home finale for the Minutemen who honored senior Mark DeSantis prior to kick-off. UMass will hit the road next weekend to take on Richmond and George Washington.
The Minutemen fall to 6-6-3 overall and 3-4-0 in the Atlantic 10, while St. Bonaventure improves to 9-6-0 overall and 5-2-0 in the league.
The loss puts UMass in a three-way tied for eighth in the league standings with two games remaining. The top six teams will qualify for the Atlantic 10 Tournament in two weeks. Dayton currently holds the top spot with 18 points, while Rhode Island moved into sixth-place today (12 points) - just three points ahead of UMass, Temple and George Washington.
Savarino headed home the game winning goal at the 31 minute, 31 second mark of the match. Sam Maheu carried the ball up the right flank before slipping a pass to Joe Miller who sent a cross into the 18-yard box. Savarino was able to catch a piece of the pass redirecting a shot towards the center cross bar. The shot had enough velocity to catch the bottom of the cross bar deflecting down over the goal line. Initially, it looked as though the UMass defense had cleared the shot away from the line, but the goal call stood.
The St. Bonaventure goal came eight minutes after it looked as though Chris Roswess would give the Minutemen and early lead. In the 23rd minute, Roswess was able to elude a defender and Bonnies' keeper David Flynn 16 yards off the goal line. Roswess toed a shot, but it went high of the frame.
UMass applied pressure late in the game looking for the equalizer and went with a three-forward alignment. In the 80th minute, a shot by Ben Arikian hit the post and a follow-up from Roswess was blocked. In the final 13 minutes of play, UMass had six shots but could not score.
For the match, St. Bonaventure outshot UMass 14-to-9 including 8-to-2 in the first half. The Bonnies held a slim 7-to-6 edge in corner kicks with both teams earning five in the second half.
Flynn made one save for the win, while UMass' Shane Curran-Hays took the loss making three saves.
