Medaille Men Advance to AMCC Championship Game With (4-0) Win Over La Roche
BUFFALO, NY--The Medaille College men's soccer team hosted the La Roche College RedHawks in the Semifinals of the AMCC tournament Wednesday afternoon at All-High Stadium and finished the game with a (4-0) win. Although the weather didn't hold out, the Mavericks made it more than entertaining for their fans.
The Mavericks had a very busy first half totaling nine total shots in the half but it wasn't until James Turner got the Mavs on the scoresheet first, with what would end up being the game winning goal in the 28th minute off an assist from Pablo Ordonez. The Mavericks landed an insurance marker less than five minutes later when Ordonez capitalized on a penalty kick after a Redhawk foul in the box.
After heading to the locker room up 2-0, the Mavericks would continue to apply pressure and increase their lead. They finished the game with an additional nine shots bringing their total numbers of shots in the game to 18. In the second half, the Mavericks scored just over five minutes into the half on an unassisted goal from John Taggart, his fifth of the season. Taggart made a strong defensive move in stealing the ball from a La Roche player before burying it in the back of the net.
Finally, the Mavericks would end the scoring on a goal from rookie Alex Pollak who finished on a corner kick ball played in from Ordonez in the 78th minute to give the Mavs a four goal cushion.
One of the biggest stars of the game for the Mavericks was goaltender Nick Kurtz. He finished the night with (7) saves including a brilliant stop on a penalty kick which rebounded directly back to the shooter who then rocketed another shot off the crossbar. Kurtz was a major factor in this game because had he not made four tremendous saves, the game very well could've been tied.
In addition to Kurtz, the Mavericks had Ordonez who finished the game with one goal and two assists along with a Medaille defense that recorded its 12th shutout of the season.
The shutout was the first recorded against La Roche this season. The Redhawks had previously played two Top 25 teams and managed to score four goals in those two games.
The Mavericks (16-2-0) will play in the AMCC Championship game Saturday (11/3) against the winner of Penn State-Behrend and Penn State-Altoona tomorrow afternoon in the other semifinal. That game will determine the site of the championship game.
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