Oct. 26, 2007
Final Stats
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -On Friday night, in the midst of a heavy rain throughout the match, Marist and Iona played to a 1-1 draw. After an evenly played first half, the Red Foxes controlled the action for much of the final 65 minutes but could not pull out the win.
With the Red Foxes leading 1-0, and a little more than thirty minutes remaining, junior Steve Fantuzzo (Penfield, N.Y.) took a shot that looked to be the back-breaker for Iona, only it missed left and the Red Foxes missed a golden opportunity.
Five minutes later, Iona was able to score a goal after a corner kick and scrum in front, to knot the score at 1-1.
"One minute we were so close to having the back-breaker, and the next minute we were tied," Marist Head Coach Matt Viggiano said. "We didn't lose the match but we didn't do what we wanted to."
In the first half the Red Foxes and Gaels played dead even. Both teams took six shots and neither team had a strong scoring chance.
In the second half, the Red Foxes came out and applied the pressure. They got on the board five minutes in when Fantuzzo made a gorgeous lead pass down the middle of the field to a streaking Jamison Allegra (East Haven, Conn.), who was able to beat the Iona keeper and get the goal. It was the sophomore's first goal of the year.
After Iona tied the match, Michael Ferenci was whistled for a red card and Iona had to play the last ten minutes a man down. For the last ten minutes of regulation and the twenty minutes of overtime, the Gaels packed in their defense and looked content playing for the tie.
"They packed it in and we needed to find a way to get a chance. We weren't able to do that and that's why we are walking away with a draw," said Viggiano.
"We took a point from the second place team in our conference and that's a plus, but we need to find a way to win that game. We need to learn how to capitalize on our chances and how to put teams away. When we learn how to do those things, we will start to win these games."
The tie moves the Red Foxes (5-6-3, 2-2-2 MAAC) into sole possession of sixth place in the conference. Niagara, who was previously tied with Marist, lost to St. Peter's on Friday afternoon.
"We are in sixth and we still control our own destiny. We have our first unbeaten streak of the year, and a real big game coming up on Sunday (Fairfield)," Viggiano added after the match.
Daniel Owens (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) made seven saves in net for the Red Foxes. Marist held a 19-12 shot advantage and a 6-4 advantage in corner kicks.
Marist will host Fairfield on Sunday at 1 p.m.
"With three games left, and our team being in the spot we are presently in (the top six seeds get a bye into the tournament quarterfinals), every game is the biggest game of the year."
