NEW HAVEN, CT – Albertus Magnus (13-4-1, 6-2-1 GNAC) defeated Saint Joseph's (6-9-2, 3-5-1 GNAC), 1-0, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference Men's Soccer game on Saturday afternoon. Monks netminder Nick Campasano '12 (Goffstown, NH) made eight saves in the setback.

The first half of the game featured outstanding goalkeeping for both teams.  Falcons freshman forward Rafael Guillen (Bakersfield, CA) blasted a shot towards the top of the net in the 17th minute, but Campasano made a diving punch save with the shot grazing off the post to preserve the 0-0 score.

St. Joe's sophomore midfielder Gerald Cushing (Hampden, ME) shot a ball past the diving Falcons freshman goal keeper Donato Piroscafo (Naugatuck, CT) and hit the post in the 20th minute of play.

The first half would end in a 0-0 tie with both teams playing very even.

Falcons sophomore midfielder Steven Zapata (Hamden, CT) was awarded a penalty kick attempt in the 58th minute, but his shot sailed over the goal and the score remained tied 0-0.

The Falcons finally solved Campasano mid-way through the second stanza, as junior defender Tim Mikita (Ansonia, CT) scored the game's lone goal in the 64th minute off a Zapata corner kick.

Albertus would hold on to the lead as Piroscafo made another diving save in the 80th minute to preserve the shutout.

Albertus held advantages in shots (16-12), shots on goal (9-5) and corner kicks (7-4) in the triumph. Monks junior Mike Sanfilippo (Walpole, MA) paced the Royal Blue with five shots, three on net.

With the result, the teams have now played to a 2-2 record in the history of the series.

The GNAC rivals will meet again in New Haven next Saturday, when the #2 Falcons host the #7 Monks in a GNAC Tournament Quarterfinal contest. Game time is to be determined.

St. Joe's will host Wheaton College, and honor the team's five seniors, on Sunday in the team's 2010 regular season finale. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 PM.

COURTESY OF AMC SPORTS INFORMATION