The Lasers dropped a tough matchup against the University of Saint Joseph CT Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon by a score of 4-1.
Going into the afternoon match, the Lasers looked to put up their first win at Taylor Field in front of the Laser faithful. Both teams had trouble capitalizing on their chances to score in the first half. Despite the slow start, the undefeated Blue Jays showed their true colors as they created more opportunities than the Lasers, outshooting them 12-7. The visitors eventually broke through the scoreless tie with a goal from sophomore forward Emmanuel Ofori, with little time remaining in the half.
The second half gave the Lasers many challenges as the Blue Jay offense began to find its rhythm. The Blue Jays led off the half with a goal from Great Northeast Atlantic Conference (GNAC) player of the week Dane Stephens shortly followed by a goal from Blue Jay senior midfielder Henry McGarrah V, who gave his squad a 3-0 lead just 10 minutes into the half.
Despite the run of goals, the Lasers would not go away without creating some sort of damage, and Ryan Klopchin made sure of that by putting the Lasers on the board and giving the team a little bit of life. Unfortunately, the Lasers’ momentum would quickly evaporate as Blue Jay defenseman Nolan Clack put the icing on the cake with an easy finish in the back of the net.
After the game, Laser midfielder Elisio Nascimento spoke on what he described as a “tough loss.” “We knew it was gonna be a hard game since they're the best team in the conference,” said Nascimento. “We tried to come in with confidence and bring it to them.”
The Lasers have struggled on their home pitch so far, but Nascimento remains optimistic, stating the fanbase has stayed loyal despite the three losses and one tie. “It's always good to have people come and support us.”
Nascimento, now a graduate student, also pointed out how much of a learning curve this has been for the entire squad.
“I'm still learning a lot day by day,” said Nascimento. “The younger guys are doing really well. They settled in. They're part of the team. They're part of the culture. [They’re] trying to help
us out as much as they can. There's a lot of work to be done.”
When asked about his team’s overall performance, Head Coach Jared Lewis thought the team was “off their game.”
“Connecting our passes and being a team—not individuals: that's what we need to work on,” said Lewis. “We had an opportunity here and we didn't take it. That's the most upsetting part.”
The Lasers hope to bounce back at home in their next match against Fisher College on Saturday, September 30, at 3 p.m.
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