Stony Brook streaks past Fairfield, 4-1

September 20, 2011

Junior Berian Gobeil Cruz (Montreal, Quebec) scored two goals and the Stony Brook men's soccer team held Fairfield without a shot in the second half in a 4-1 Seawolves victory Tuesday night at LaValle Stadium.

"We dug ourselves a hole early, but our pressure was good and, as a result, we created a lot of good chances," head coach Ryan Anatol said. "Tonight, we made the most out of our opportunities."

The Seawolves fell behind 1-0 moments after the match had started. A Stony Brook foul set up a free kick 35 yards away from the net. Fairfield's Jon Clements took the kick and swatted it into the top right corner of the net with no opportunity for a save, putting the Stags on top just 7:39 into the game.

Fairfield's Daniel Shaw took a shot in the 27th minute that Seawolves goalkeeper Stefan Manz (Bronx, N.Y.), and from that point on, it was all Stony Brook. Gobeil Cruz tied the match in the 33rd minute when he was at the far left side of the goal and sliced a kick into the top right of the net past Stags keeper Michael O'Keeffe.

In the second half, the Seawolves benefitted from a Fairfield error when junior Christian Molinar (Bay Shore, N.Y.) crossed a kick into the box in the 54th minute that was intended for sophomore Will Casey (Setauket, N.Y.), but a Stags defender cut Casey off and then accidentally headed the ball into the net for an own goal.

From there, the Seawolves poured it on as they continued to control possession and not allow any Fairfield chances. Gobeil Cruz netted his second goal of the night and third goal in the last two games when he took a running pass from junior Leonardo Fernandes (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and went one-on-one with O'Keeffe, easily poking the ball past the defenseless keeper. Lastly, sophomore Glenn Whelan (Forest Hills, N.Y.) notched his first collegiate goal when he nailed a diving header off a cross from senior Serigne Sylla (Dakar, Senegal).

For his two-goal night, Gobeil Cruz was named the America East Player of the Game.

Stony Brook outshot Fairfield 18-3 and didn't allow a single shot past the 27th minute, thanks to incredibly strong defense. SBU also led in corner kicks, 5-0. Stony Brook now climbs back to .500 (3-3-2) with the victory.

The Seawolves will hit the road this weekend for two games in the Philadelphia area. SBU will play at Pennsylvania Friday night and then take on Temple Sunday afternoon.

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