Men's soccer drops heartbreaker to GW

WASHINGTON - Senior captain Nicholas Parisi (Holbrook, N.Y.) scored on a penalty kick with eight minutes to play in regulation, but George Washington University scored the game-winner with 1:26 remaining, handing the Bryant University men's soccer team a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat on Saturday, Sept. 17 at Mount Vernon Field.

With time ticking away in the waning moments of the second stanza, GW midfielder Bailey Hinners played the ball down the left flank and into the box, where forward Seth Rudolph walked in and chipped the ball over sophomore netminder George Spanos (Garden City, N.Y.), and the Colonials (2-2-1) walked off with the victory.  The Bulldogs fall to 0-3-1 on the season.

Bryant led the game in corner kicks, posting a 6-3 margin in that category, while the Colonials held a slim 10-9 advantage in shots attempted.  Both Spanos and GW goalkeeper Alejand Almodovar finished the game with three saves apiece.

Both teams battled hard in the first half, but were unable to get on the scoreboard.  The Bulldogs nearly took the lead in the 39th minute after the ball initially went into the net off a corner kick, but a foul was called in the box, negating the potential go-ahead goal.  Moments later, it appeared that Tyler Ranalli had found the back of the net for the Colonials off a service from Andrew Aluko, but he was waved offside.

It wasn't until the 64th minute that either team would break through.  After the Black and Gold had begun to control the pace of the game, rookie forward Connor Norat (Wilmington, Del.) netted his first career goal after heading home a corner kick shot taken by classmate Shane Murphy (Kennett Square, Pa.) at the near post to put the Bulldogs aboard at 64:46, but that would be the first of three goals over a four-minute span.

Zach Abaie knotted the contest up at 1-1 in the 67th minute with a 30-yard laser to the upper-right corner just minutes after Norat's marker.  Barely 30 seconds later, GW went up 2-1 after Rudolph laid the ball off to Alex Sandland for a one-time cross to Yoni Berhanu, who settled the ball with his chest and curled in a righty shot from the left side of the box into the right corner of the goal, igniting the home crowd of more than 400 on hand for the Colonials' Alumni Day.

The Bulldogs would not go quietly, though, as Parisi converted his second penalty kick goal in as many games at 80:35 after Joe Holleran was flagged for a hand ball in the box moments earlier. Unfortunately for the Black and Gold, that 2-2 score would not hold up for long, as Rudolph put the Colonials on top for good at 88:34.

Bryant will look to rebound against Army on Tuesday, Sept. 20, when it returns to Smithfield for the first time in 18 days.  Game time at Bulldog Stadium is set for 4 p.m.

For continuing coverage of Bryant men's soccer, check back at www.bryantbulldogs.com, and follow the Bulldogs on Twitter @BryantAthletics.