Men’s Soccer Records UAlbany’s First Win at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium 2-1 Over Hartford

ALBANY, N.Y. – University at Albany men’s soccer (6-6-1, 1-2-0 AE) became the first UAlbany team to win at the newly named Tom & Mary Casey Stadium on Wednesday night in a 2-1 victory over Hartford (4-5-3, 0-2-1 AE). The Danes picked up their first league win courtesy of goals from Jake Barros and Leo Melgar.

“I was really happy with tonight’s performance,” said head coach Trevor Gorman. “In the first half especially I thought we were excellent, and overall it’s a really big win. Our players were really determined to give a high-level performance, and we’re looking forward to continuing that on Saturday.”

Off the first corner of the match for UAlbany, Martin Gorrie connected with Bernardo Mattos for a header in front of the Hartford net. Mattos had his shot saved, and his rebound attempt was blocked. Gorrie came up for the third look, but also fired off-target.

Gorrie got back in the swing in the 29th minute, as he chipped in a ball from the left side. Barros volleyed the feed into the lower right corner for a 1-0 UAlbany lead.

Just two shots later, the Danes scored again for a 2-0 advantage. Despite much back-and-forth through the midfield, UAlbany struck again in the 43rd minute. Afonso Pinheiro took on three defenders through the middle of the field, leaving Leo Melgar open on the right side. Melgar went low and near post for his fifth goal of the season with time running down in the first half.
At the break, UAlbany held an 8-1 shot advantage.

Hartford became increasingly frustrated on the offensive end, as offsides hampered any attempts at re-gaining momentum. The Danes took five looks on net to open the second half.

But the Hawks nearly caught a break mid-way through the period. Second-leading scorer Jeff Tyron caught a break downfield, and Eric Orologio came off his line. Tyron made the move around Orologio, but Keith Traut slid in front of an open net to maintain a 2-0 lead with 25 minutes left.

With the wind out of Hartford’s sails, UAlbany began to push the ball forward. Pinheiro smashed a shot from near the 18-yard box in the 77th minute, but goalkeeper David MacKinnon made the diving save.

The Hawks managed to get one back on a corner kick with less than five minutes to play. UAlbany held on for a crucial three points in league competition.

In addition to taking the program’s first win at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium, UAlbany men’s soccer was also the first Great Dane team to win at Bob Ford Field after its opening in 2013.

Next up for Gorman’s squad is UMass Lowell (7-5-0, 2-1-0 AE) on Saturday at 8:00pm from Bob Ford Field at Casey Stadium. The Purple & Gold face the River Hawks following the 3:30pm UAlbany football game against Villanova.