Bulldogs rally in second half to force extra time, but fall to Vermont in 2OT, 3-2

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Down 2-0 at halftime, the Bryant University men's soccer team mounted an inspired second-half comeback to force a pair of overtimes, but conceded a heartbreaking goal two minutes into the fourth frame and fell to Vermont, 3-2, on Wednesday afternoon.

It was apparent early that both the Bulldogs (0-6) and Catamounts (6-1) would be in store for physical battle, as there were 43 combined fouls, five yellows and a red card. The hosts had a great scoring opportunity in the 27th minute on a David Abunaw (West Hartford, Conn.) shot from the close left wing, but the shot was turned out of play by a diving Aron Runarsson.

The near goal came back to haunt the Bulldogs three minutes later, as senior Brian Wright received an excellent through ball to the close right wing from classmate and fellow double-digit point getter Bernard Yeboah. Wright separated and was alone, easily burying his fifth goal of the season into the upper right of the net.

A little over 10 minutes later, Shane Haley netted his first goal of the season from the top of the box. Wright sent a ball into the middle, but Haley was only 10 yards in front and he controlled it with his back heel and ripped a quick shot that found the back of the net to make it 2-0, which held firm up until halftime.

Having been held scoreless since the season opener, the Bulldogs had to press and play with a sense of urgency in the second frame, which is exactly what they were able to do. The scoreless drought ended in the 49th minute when sophomore Nathaniel Brown (Queens, N.Y.) unexpectedly ripped a shot from dead center 30 yards out, catching Runarsson off guard and finding the lower left corner of the cage.

Despite the goal, the Bulldogs were a little too physical to start the second half and were given a pair of yellows over the first 13 minutes. Sophomore Derek Blanchette (Hope, R.I.) was then sent off on a red card following a hard tackle in the 61st minute.

Playing a man down, junior keeper Nick Stewart (South Windsor, Conn.) and the Bryant defense elevated its play while the offense pressed forward. Sophomores Charlie Booth (Concord, Mass.) and Brendan Robinson (Medway, Mass.) were outstanding along the backline, playing all 101 minutes and helping keep their team within striking distance in the second half.

Stewart made a pair of critical saves over the next eight minutes from shots inside the box to keep the deficit at one goal. Wright broke free in the middle of the field in the 68th minute, but Stewart slid and made a one-on-one save with his legs.

Following one of the 18 Vermont fouls in the 70th minute, freshman George Gill (Cork Munster, Ireland) lined up for a free kick from 10 past midfield. He sent a high ball to the left of the box, where senior captain Jake Lamar (New Haven, Conn.) redirected it back to the middle with Runarsson slightly out of position. Freshman defender James Cochrane (Sandy Hook, Conn.) was on the receiving end and headed it into the open net to knot things up at 2-2.

Bryant was unable to get a great scoring chance over the final 20 minutes, but Vermont was and the defense was forced to come up with key stops. Jon Arnar Barodal sent a pair of shots aimed at Stewart in the 78th minute, but the junior goalie was up for the task both times. The first attempt was from the right wing in the box and it was sent out of play, and the second was from the top of the box that forced Stewart to make a diving save going to his left.

Wright thought he gave his team the winner in the 87th minute when he broke into the box and struck a low shot to the far right post, but Booth was in a perfect spot to knock the ball to Stewart, who corralled it between his legs. The scare was the final of regulation, as Bryant found itself in its first overtime of the season following eight in 2015-16.

Vermont dominated the time of possession in the first overtime period, and on three occasions looked as if it would claim a victory before the second extra frame would even begin. But Stewart made three stops in the first OT to keep his team in the game.

Though Stewart had snared 10 shots on goal, the Bulldog offense had gone quiet after the second score. Once the second OT began, Wright and Yeboah did what they had been doing all year and all afternoon, which is create opportunities. A quick dispossession along the right wing gave Vermont the ball, as Haley sent a nice touch pass to Wright, who timed a perfect run towards to close right flank. Wright made two touches before running out of play and sent a low cross into the box to Yeboah, who booted in the winner in the 102nd minute. The textbook FIFA goal was Yeboah's eighth and Wright's ninth assist on the year.

Brown fired off three shots in the heartbreaking loss and sophomore Ricardo Becerra (Southlake, Tx.) attempted two shots with one on target. Gill and Lamar picked up their first points of the season on assists during the Cochrane goal. Stewart's 10 saves are a new career high, as he was festered with 16 shots on target.

The Catamounts struck 24 shots in total, with Wright leading the charge collecting seven attempts, five of which were on goal. Barodal had four shots with three on frame, Stefan Lamanna had three shots on net and Haley picked up his first goal and helper on the year. Runarsson made two saves on the afternoon, but it was Eric Venezia who secured the win, as he entered the contest just before the first overtime concluded.

The Bulldogs will look to build off of their strong second half and get rested before returning to Bulldog Soccer Field on Wednesday, Sept. 21 against UMass Lowell, with kick off set for 4:00 p.m.