Sparkill, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Soccer team dropped its second straight contest on Wednesday afternoon, falling 2-1 to Franklin Pierce University at Spartan Field.
STAC falls to 5-4-2 on the year, while Franklin Pierce improves to 6-2-2 on the season.
Guillermo Rios and Dani Almeida each tallied first half goals for the Ravens, as goalkeeper Karl Vernet (W, 1-0-0) turned away five of six shots faced to earn his first win of the season.
Meanwhile, Jorge De La Vibora scored the lone goal for the Spartans late in the second half. Keeper Dante Muntane (L, 4-3-2) made 10 stops on 12 shots in a losing effort.
HOW IT HAPPENED
27th Minute: Off of an injury stoppage, Franklin Pierce's Stepan Fiker sent a high, floating shot into the box, finding the head of teammate Guillermo Rios for the redirection past Dante Muntane at the right post to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.
33th Minute: An offensive rush by the Ravens saw a through ball make its way to Miguel D'Amico along the sideline for a two-on-one with Dani Almeida. D'Amico's cross into the middle of the field found D'Amico for the boot to the left of Muntane and to the back of the onion bag for the 2-0 lead.
67th Minute: Miscommunication between Franklin Pierce keeper Karl Vernet and one of his defenders allowed for Jorge De La Vibora to steal a failed clearing attempt and break toward a wide open net for the easy deposit, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Franklin Pierce outshot St. Thomas Aquinas, 20-12 with the Ravens putting the ball on frame a dozen times and the Spartans reaching the goal six times.
- Franklin Pierce earned a slim 5-3 advantage on corner kicks over STAC.
- Jorge De La Vibora registered a team-high five shots, with three going on frame.
- The teams were whistled for 28 total fouls (16-12 Franklin Pierce).
UP NEXT
St. Thomas Aquinas heads back up to Western New York for its second trip in almost a month, taking on D'Youville University on Saturday, October 18 (Noon) at Dobson Field in Buffalo.