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WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – With the final seconds of regulation ticking off of the scoreboard and both teams held scoreless through 89 minutes of play, forward Patrick Boucher punched in the game-deciding goal to lift the University of Hartford men's soccer team over the University at Albany, 1-0, in both teams' America East opener on Saturday evening in front of a packed crowd at Alumni Stadium.
Boucher was named the man of the match for his dramatic game-winner which helped the Hawks improve to 3-5 overall and earn three points in conference play. The Great Danes fall to 4-6 overall, 0-1 in the America East.
Albany came out of the first-kick firing with three strong attempts at putting the first mark on the scoreboard. Forward Shaun Kane, Albany's man of the match, rifled back-to-back shots in the 10th minute but could not put a ball past a wide net, keeping the score tied at zero before the break. The junior's shot from just yards out was punched out by the right hand of Hartford keeper Luke Citriniti. After tracking down the rebound, Kane's second attempt was rejected by the crossbar.
Hartford picked up the tempo coming out of the intermission and turned up the heat on the offensive side of the pitch. The Hawks saw a flurry of shot attempts in the final 45 as they pulled the trigger 12 times, forcing Great Danes' keeper Adrian Foncette to make four saves in the stanza.
With just 37 seconds remaining in regulation, senior Sam Groves booted a long ball from right to left on a corner kick, but the attempt was intercepted and corralled by Foncette. Defender Jorge Rodriguez corrupted the keeper's clear attempt and from 30 yards out, fired a shot towards the goal. The junior's shot deflected off of Foncette, finding Boucher who from point-blank sank the lone goal of the match past the Great Danes' back line.
Citriniti rejected each of the four Albany shots on target in his first appearance between the pipes this season, helping the squad post its third clean slate of the season.
In celebration of “Hawktober” weekend on campus, the Hawks welcomed back former members of the men's soccer team including the 1996 Elite Eight team as well as members of the Portuguese community for the fourth annual Portuguese Festival.
Hartford continues its challenging 2010 America East schedule with a trip to Boston University on Saturday, October 9. First kick between the Hawks and Terriers is slated for 2:00 p.m.
