Late-game rally not enough as Sage drops match at RSC
| 90:00 - 2nd | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 2 | 2 |
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1 | 3 | 4 |
Team Stats
| Game Statistics | Russell Sage College | Richard Stockton |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 7 (2) | 16 (8) |
| Saves | 4 | 0 |
| Fouls | 7 | 9 |
| Corner Kicks | 2 | 5 |
| Offsides | 0 | 1 |
Galloway, NJ--- No. 3 seed Richard Stockton (12-6-4) defeated No. 6 seed Sage College (11-8-1) 4-2 in the first round of the ECAC Metro tournament on Wednesday evening. Pat Rafferty (Brick, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) and Ali Gocmez (Delran, NJ/Delran) scored two goals apiece for the Ospreys. Stockton advanced to face No. 2 seed William Paterson in the ECAC Metro semifinals at Drew University on Saturday.
Rafferty scored the first two goals of the game. He tapped in a goalmouth feed from Jared Ruff (Delran, NJ/Delran) at 21:56 for the only goal of the first half. Just 4:34 into the second stanza, Rafferty received a feed from Anthony Procopio (Vineland, NJ/Sacred Heart) and buried a shot from six yards out for his team-leading 12th tally of the season.
Sage's sophomore Chris Peralta (Wyandanch, NY/Martin Luther King, Jr.) got Sage on the board at the 65:57 mark on a 20-yard shot with topspin that dipped in under the crossbar to pull the Gators within 2-1.
Gocmez answered with two goals 90 seconds apart for Stockton. On the first, he took a pass from Matt Jenne (Kinnelon, NJ/Kinnelon), decked around Sage goalie Trevor Paddy (Brooklyn, NY/Jamaica) and scored into the empty net. Gocmez's second tally came on a low shot from the top of the box and was assisted by Anthony Fiorletti (Freehold Twp., NJ/Freehold Twp.) for a 4-1 advantage.
Sage netted the final goal of the game with 3:44 remaining as Chris Modelowski (Amsterdam, NY/ Amsterdam) slipped a short pass to Wesley Finch (Newburgh, NY/Newburgh Free Academy) who scored from the left wing for the 4-2 final score.
Stockton starter Tim Brett (Palmyra, NJ/Palmyra) earned the win without facing a shot in 64:46 before Noah Morris (Brick, NJ/Brick Twp.) played the final 25:14 in the Ospreys' net. Paddy finished with four stops for Sage, which earned an ECAC tournament berth in just its second season of intercollegiate play and finishes the campaign with an 8-4 record in net.
Stockton will face fellow NJAC member William Paterson in the ECAC Metro tournament semifinals at No.1 seed Drew University on Saturday at 3:30 pm. William Paterson edged Stockton 2-1 in overtime on October 6. The ECAC championship match will be held at Drew on Sunday at 1 pm.
Finch led Sage this fall with his program-best 12 goals, 30 points, and five game-winning goals. Finch is on target to become the program's 50 point scorer as he has 37 points on 15 goals with seven assists and six career game-winners. Modelowski, the program's first senior, wraps his career with the Gators having played in 32 games with three goals, two assists and eight career points.
With the release of the most recent NCAA Div. 3 statistical rankings on Nov. 7, Sage's team ranks 23rd
in total goals (56), 21st in scoring offense (2.84 gpg), 38th in assists per game (2.0) and 38th in total assists
(39).
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