(boxscore)
9/29/06 --
Long Island University dropped its Northeast Conference opener on Friday afternoon,
falling to Sacred Heart, 2-0. Despite a 16-12 advantage on
shots and a 7-4 advantage on corners, LIU could not find the
back of the net.
The Pioneers scored what would be the game-winning goal in the 39th minute, when
Jason Tessitore collected a loose ball and put a shot past Blackbird goalkeeper
Alex Fatovic (Falls Church, Va.). Sacred Heart added an insurance goal in the
second stanza to secure the win.
The Blackbirds had an opportunity to get on the board 15 minutes into the game.
Freshman Frank Alesci (Ridgewood, N.Y.) blasted a point blank shot that Pioneers
keeper Matthew Jones deflected away. Teammate Michael Marten (Ogden, Ill.) collected
the rebound but his shot attempt hit the left post.
Alesci would have another chance with 16 minutes left in the first half. A long
ball was played into the Sacred Heart box but when Jones came out to play the
pass, the ball jarred loose and Alesci got a header toward the left post. Sacred
Heart’s Luke Gagliardi cleared the ball to keep the game scoreless.
Long Island put the pressure on offensively throughout the opening 45 minutes
but couldn’t get a goal on the board. The Blackbirds forced Jones to make
seven of his eight saves in the first half. Fatovic made five saves in the loss.
The Blackbirds fell to 2-7-0 (0-1-0 NEC), while the Pioneers
improved to 4-3-1 (1-0-0). Long Island will visit Fairleigh
Dickinson on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 1:00
p.m.
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