Men's Soccer Stumbles at Albertus Magnus

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Albertus Magnus College men's soccer team picked up a 2-0 victory over Mitchell College on Wednesday afternoon in non-conference action at Celentano Field.

With the win, the Falcons improved to 5-2-0 on the year and 3-1-0 on their home turf. The Mariners moved to 2-4-1 overall.

Albertus held a 21-6 advantage in shots and goalkeeper Griffin Volta registered his second blank sheet of the fall for the hosts. The matched marked the first time this year an Albertus game was decided by more than one goal.

Late in the first half, the Falcons threatened with a pair of hard-struck shots on goal. In a scoreless contest, midfielder Matt Mueller blasted a low ball through traffic from 10 yards outside the box that Mitchell sophomore goalkeeper Romer Ochoa caught on a knee in the 40th minute. Fifty seconds later, forward Matt Stoll fired a shot from just outside the box that Ochoa punched over the net with a leaping effort.

Albertus finally broke through in the final minute of the opening half, as the Mariners were whistled for a foul 10 yards outside the box and the Falcons made them pay. Forward Alexis Garcia-Romero bent the free kick around the Mitchell wall and finished past a diving Ochoa in the lower-right corner to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. Garcia-Romero's tally was his second of the season and the eventual game winner.
 
In the second half, AMC stretched its lead to 2-0 thanks to a goal from midfielder Alex Zapata. In the 59th minute, Zapata was brought down just inside the box and he converted the ensuing penalty kick for his team-leading sixth marker of the season. Later in the frame, Zapata created another scoring opportunity as he beat his defender and took a shot from 20 yards outside the box that clanked off the right post and rolled out of bounds.
 
Thanks to a strong game from the Falcon backline and midfield, the Mariners did not put a shot on goal. Albertus controlled the tempo and possession for a majority of the contest. Volta earned his fifth win of the season and his seventh career shutout. On the opposite end, Ochoa turned aside seven shots.

Mitchell will open up conference play at home against Elms College on Saturday, September 26 at 2:30 p.m.