POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (September 23, 2015) – Senior Cosmo Veneziale (Garden City, NY/Garden City) scored a pair of second half goals including the game-winner, as Vassar held off Mount Saint Mary College (NY) 2-1 Wednesday afternoon. The Brewers dominated possession for most of the game at Gordon Field, but a second half goal from the Knights made it anyone's game in the final 25 minutes. VC improves to 4-2-2 on the year with the victory, while Mt. St. Mary drops to 2-6-1.
The second half provided most of the match's action, which started with Veneziale's first goal of the day in the 49th minute. After senior Nick Hess (Troy, NY/Averill Park) had his initial header deflect off the crossbar, Veneziale was there to put his head on the rebound. The ball took a line to the corner of the cage past the outstretched hands of the Knights' keeper to put VC ahead 1-0.
Vassar was able to place several more shots on frame in the following minutes, but it was Mt. St. Mary that struck next with a goal at the 63:18 mark. Senior Michael Ennis took control of a ball towards the top left of the 18-yard box, and found a cushion in the Vassar defense to get a shot off. His well-struck attempt on goal carried into the top right of the net as the Knights found the equalizer to pull even, 1-1.
The Brewers never waivered, and Veneziale stepped up with his second score of the afternoon just a few minutes later. After a cross was put into the box from the left wing, sophomore Alex Gonzales (Aliso Viejo, CA/Mater Dei) put a touch on it for a waiting Veneziale. The senior forward one-timed the ball into the right center of the cage, as the Brewers went back up by one in the 67th minute.
Veneziale nearly had the hat trick with a shot in the 73rd minute, but his shot sailed just right as the Knights escaped a two-goal deficit. It appeared as though Mt. St. Mary would push the game into overtime in the closing minutes of the half, after a header inside the six-yard box bounced into the net. The center official called the goal back on a pushing foul, as the Brewers maintained the lead into the end of regulation.
Vassar outshot the visitors 7-2 in the first half, but a flurry of early quality scoring chances were saved by Knights keeper Austin Peluso. Senior Sebastien Lasseur (Cornwall, CT/Housatonic Vly Regional) made three saves to earn the victory in the goal for Vassar. Peluso finished with five stops in the cage for the Knights.
The Brewers will now enter a brief hiatus from game-action until returning to the pitch to open Liberty League play October 2-3. Vassar will host No. 19 St. Lawrence University at home on October 2, before playing Clarkson University the following day.
--VASSAR--
