McCUNE EARNS CONFERENCE HONORS

Sept. 22: St. Lawrence University first year midfielder Tyler McCune was named the Liberty League’s “Co-Rookie of the Week” on Monday after scoring his first collegiate points over the weekend.

In a 1-1 weekend for the Saints, McCune (Ottawa, ONT/All Saints Catholic) tallied four points as he scored two consecutive unassisted goals on Saturday, leading St. Lawrence to a 7-1 victory over neighboring SUNY Potsdam to improve to a 5-3-0 record. His two goals were only minutes apart as he helped ensure the win for the Scarlet and Brown.

St. Lawrence faces two tough opponents this weekend, as they open Liberty League play against Hamilton and Hobart on Friday and Saturday, respectively.  The Continentals are currently 4-1-0 overall, while the nationally-ranked Statesmen are undefeated and stand at a 7-0-0 record.  A repeat of last year’s Liberty League matchup between the Saints and Hamilton is scheduled to begin at 4:00pm on Friday in Clinton, NY.

FOUR ROOKIES SCORE AS SAINTS

TROUNCE POTSDAM, 7-1

Sept. 20: Six members of the St. Lawrence University men’s soccer team scored as the Saints defeated neighboring Potsdam State by a score of 7-1 Saturday afternoon on Sandy MacAllaster Field.

St. Lawrence improves to a 5-3-0 mark, while Potsdam suffers their second loss in less than 24 hours and fall to 4-3-2 overall.

First-year Tyler McCune (Ottawa, ONT/All Saints Catholic) led the Scarlet and Brown with four points, tallying two consecutive goals, his first collegiate points, in the second half.  Also netting a goal for the Saints was senior midfielder and co-captain Paul LaMarca (Mesa, AZ/Red Mountain), junior forward Emmanuel Mbong (Norman, OK/Norman) and three other first-year players: Brendan Gorman (Ottawa, ONT/St. Mathew), Sean Scott (Brooklyn, NY/Poly Prep CDS), who had the eventual game-winning goal, and Ean Kelleher (Plattsburgh, NY/Plattsburgh).  Both Gorman and Mbong added assists for a three-point game each, while senior forward Kiel Dwyer (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate) assisted Scott’s game-winner. 

Gorman put the Saints on the scoreboard early in the first after senior midfielder and co-captain Ryan Moore’s (Keene, NH/Keene) corner put the ball in the air and LaMarca found himself underneath as he headed it into Potsdam keeper Evan Smith, where it deflected off the goalie and to the foot of Gorman, who placed it in the back of the net to give St. Lawrence an early 1-0 lead.

St. Lawrence continued to put full pressure on the Bears’ defense as they peppered Smith with 13 shots in the first half.  Scott scored second for the Saints after receiving the ball in traffic from Dwyer and sending it past Smith for a 2-0 advantage in the 29th minute.

Potsdam continued to play strong despite the Saints’ back line defending Saints keeper and co-captain Emilio Coletta (Montreal, QUE/Marianapolis College) and the net and only allowing three shots in the first period.  But that didn’t stop the Bears from using their own pressure in the final seconds of the half to push the ball up field into St. Lawrence territory as Ryan McAssey recorded the Bears’ goal, with Mike Rudd adding the assist as they cut the Scarlet and Brown’s lead in half just as the period ended.

The second half belonged to the Saints as they recorded five unanswered goals in 23 minutes to give propel themselves in front of the Bears.  LaMarca’s goal came off a misplaced header by Mbong, as LaMarca slotted the ball to the far post to record the third goal for St. Lawrence.

McCune’s impressive two-goal event came less than three minutes later at the end of the 57th minute, where he found himself just beyond the penalty box and blasted the ball past a confused Smith, as he gave up his fourth goal of the game.  The first year’s second goal came minutes later in the middle of the 60th minute from almost the same location, as another corner from Moore sent the ball into traffic and out to an unattended McCune, who put away his second goal and the team’s fifth.

St. Lawrence’s lead would only increase as Mbong received a cross from Gorman and put it past another Bear keeper, DJ Martin at the end of the 65th minute, while rookie Kelleher enjoyed his first collegiate goal as he added the Saints’ seventh and final goal in the 78th minute from inside the box.

St. Lawrence enjoyed a 26-7 advantage in shots, while also producing 15 shots on goal, compared to Potsdam’s three.  Coletta recorded a save in the second, while sophomore keeper Phillip Jones (Philadelphia, PA/St. Paul’s) saw time in his first collegiate game and also recorded a save in the final minutes of the contest to help maintain the Saints’ six goal win.  Potsdam’s Smith has seven saves, while Martin made one.

St. Lawrence will be on the road for the next seven games before returning to Sandy MacAllaster Field on October 25th.  Liberty League action begins next weekend as the Saints travel to Hamilton and Hobart for a tough conference opening weekend.  The Scarlet and Brown are scheduled to play the Continentals next Friday, September 26 at 4:00pm in Clinton, NY.

CARDINALS SLIP PAST SAINTS, 1-0

Sept. 19: The St. Lawrence University men’s soccer team suffered their third loss of the 2008 season Friday afternoon as the Plattsburgh State Cardinals edged the Saints 1-0 in non-conference action in Plattsburgh, NY.

The cardinals improve to 7-1-0 overall and extend their home game unbeaten streak to 33 straight contests, while the Saints drop to a 4-3-0 mark.

The first half very much resembled that of last year’s match up, which ended in a scoreless tie after 110 minutes.  Both teams accumulated more fouls than shots in the opening half, as St. Lawrence had only three shots, while Plattsburgh had four, with two on Saints’ keeper senior and co-captain Emilio Coletta (Montreal, QUE/Marianapolis College) who came up big in between the posts to maintain the tie.  Both teams were charged with eight fouls a piece in the first 45 minutes.

The second half opened with a great opportunity for St. Lawrence, where the ball found the head of senior midfielder and co-captain Paul LaMarca (Mesa, AZ/Red Mountain) who made all efforts to get the Saints on the scoreboard, but Cardinal keeper John San Filippo was determined to protect the back of the net as he made the save for Plattsburgh.

Minutes later, a St. Lawrence foul forced a restart for the Cardinals in the 50th minute, as Plattsburgh’s Mike Pinamonti found himself with the ball and saw an opportunity with teammate Noel Tipovski up front, who out ran the Saints’ defenders and shot the ball into the back post to give the home squad a 1-0 advantage that they never surrendered.

Coletta who was unconquerable in the remainder of the half, as he stopped six balls from entering the goal, while St. Lawrence had seven of their own shots, but only forced San Filippo to make two saves.  The Scarlet and Brown pressed hard in the final minutes despite some rough play on the part of their hosts, as one Plattsburgh player was giving a yellow card with just 1:30 remaining, but were unsuccessful at getting the ball past San Filippo as the home team celebrated their seventh win of the season.

Coletta had an impressive game in goal as he made a game high eight saves, the most he has made in a single game this season.  San Flippo, who recently broke Plattsburgh’s school record for career shutouts, earned his 26th on Friday against St. Lawrence as the Cardinals attempt to get back on the NSCAA/adidas national rankings, which they fell off of in Tuesday’s poll.

St. Lawrence looks forward to an exciting match up with the Bears from neighboring Potsdam State on Saturday, as the Saints host the contest on Sandy MacAllaster Field with the start scheduled for 3:30pm.  It is St. Lawrence’s final game before league play begins next weekend.