SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - It was a tight-fought contest, but the American International College men's soccer team won the day, with two late goals in a 2-0 win over Molloy University on Tuesday, September 29.
AIC is now 5-3-2 overall.
The first half saw the midfields of both teams keep the ball away from the goalkeepers; chances were few and far between until the late portion of the half, when Javier Solá Martínez turned back a shot in the 42nd minute and
Paul Espinoza hit the crossbar with a bid barely a minute later. Still, at halftime the score was 0-0.
The second half was a bit more open, and AIC had a few chances turned back by Molloy's Anthony Martinez. Through 70 minutes, it remained tied.
The Yellow Jackets finally broke through in the 75th minute.
Sandro Alvarez Jimenez cut down the left sideline past a defender and toward the left side of the goal line and slotted a pass to the top left of the Molly six-yard box. It was just above the two center backs for the Lions, and placed perfectly for
Liam Smith to run onto it and blast home his fifth of the season into the bottom of the net.
Molloy, now trailing, pressed and pressured, but Solá Martínez made an excellent diving save against a Massimo Bruno bid in the 78th minute to preserve AIC's lead.Â
AIC put the game away with 81 seconds left;
Stefan Sandu fed a through ball to
Tomos Shyamapant that allowed him to split the defense and fire in his third of the campaign.
Solá Martínez made three saves in his second consecutive shutout win.
AIC next plays Franklin Pierce University as part of Homecoming. The squad serves as the nightcap, kicking off at 7:00 p.m.
