BOGOSIAN AND MERRILL LEAD SAINTS TO LOTTO CLASSIC TITLE GAME

Sept. 1: Senior forwards Charlie Bogosian and James Merrill got the Saints off on the right foot in the 2007 season, as each tallied their first goal of the year, and led the St. Lawrence University men’s soccer team to a decisive 2-0 win over the New Jersey City University (NJCU) Gothic Knights at Sandy MacAllaster Field on Saturday in the Lotto Classic.

The scoring got underway at 29:29 as senior back Mike Bobbie headed a pass through the goal box off a direct kick, which landed on Bogosian’s foot. The Manlius, NY native fired a shot that beat Gothic Knights keeper Andre Viola and give the Saints a 1-0 edge.

Sophomore Emmanuel Mbong had a chance to extend the lead for the Saints, but his shot that Viola deflected hit the crossbar and stayed out of the net.

The Saints defense did an outstanding job defending their own goal, as junior captain Emilio Coletta was not forced to make a save in the entire first half. The Saints out-shot the Gothic Knights 7-6 in the first 45 minutes and carried a 1-0 lead into the second half.

The second half proved to be just as exciting as the first, with both offensive teams battling up and down the field for possession of the ball. Both Viola and Coletta saw much action near the net in the last half of the game, making three saves each. It wasn’t until the 75 th minute that Merrill tacked on an insurance goal with an assist from Bogosian to give the Saints a 2-0 lead.

The Gothic Knights tried to take advantage of their chances they had on Coletta in the second half, but the Montreal, Quebec native was up to the task, turning away each of the three shots on goal he faced to post his first shutout of the season.

NJCU managed to outshoot the Saints in the second half 13-11 and 19-18 overall. The Gothic Knights also had the edge in corner kicks, 5-2.

The Saints look to win the Lotto North Country Classic tomorrow as they take on Bridgewater State. The Bears defeated Clarkson 1-0 in the first game of the tournament, thanks to a strong performance in goal by Drew Pontbriand, who was able to protect the net against Clarkson’s offense with six saves. The Saints and the Bears will meet on Sandy MacAllaster Field at 2:00pm.