No. 17 ranked Marist men’s soccer got handed their first loss of the season on Wednesday, falling 5-1 to Fairfield (4-4-1, 2-1-0 MAAC) in dominating fashion. Freshman midfielder Alex Vaz scored two in the match, his team-leading fourth and fifth goals of the year.
This loss is Marist’s (6-1-2, 2-1-0 MAAC) first loss on the season, ending their eight-game unbeaten run to open the campaign. The Red Foxes outshot Fairfield 17-15 and put nine shots on target to the Stags’ six, but the visitors capitalizing on their chances made the difference.
“For me it was moments,” said head coach Matt Viggiano. “In the second half, we had opportunities, but you can’t capitulate to a team like that.”
Junior midfielder Kyle Evans scored Marist’s only goal in the 10th minute of the contest. Evans dispossessed the Stags in their buildup and snuck it past freshman goalie Evan Chomow. Chomow, who’s started every game this year, made seven saves, including a few very clutch stops as Marist attempted to claw their way back in.
Fairfield outshot their hosts in the match while having fewer shots on target, with all four goals being well-placed just out of the reach of graduate student goalie Jamie Lowell. Lowell made just one save in the loss.
Freshman forward Sean Albritton, who entered the game tied with Vaz for the team lead in goals, opened Fairfield’s account in the 31st minute. Albrighton picked the ball up on the right side of the field with about 25 yards to go and deposited the ball into the far corner past a diving Lowell.
Neither team converted for the rest of the half and the match went into the break all square.
Vaz came out of the half with his pants on fire, scoring twice in five minutes with the pair coming just 129 seconds apart. His first, off an assist from freshman forward Pipeloore Olanrewaju, came after Marist failed to clear, and Vaz drove it across the goal and past Lowell.
The second of his pair was a long shot that dribbled in to widen the Stags’ lead. Vaz gathered with about 20 yards between him and the net, taking his space in the middle of the field and netting his team-high fifth goal.
https://x.com/StagsMensSoccer/status/1973547590341050603
The first yellow cards did not come until nearly an hour into the match when Olanrewaju fouled freshman defender Will Salivonchik. Both parties received a booking after the challenge; Salivonchik got his first for arguing, while Olanrewaju was booked for the foul.
Fairfield made it a blowout in the 64th minute when junior midfielder Cameron Gerber scored his first of the year. Gerber, the Stags’ lead assister with five, shot from just inside the box and placed it snug into the bottom right corner.
As a result, Marist went into more of an attacking mindset, subbing in freshman midfielder Miles Douglas to replace junior defender Ethan Ortiz. Three minutes after coming on, Douglas put his foot through a pinballing ball and sent it toward an open net, but a headed goal-line clearance kept Marist trailing by three.
Two minutes later, Evans sent in a deep cross to sophomore striker Chris Verheul. Verheul’s header seemed goalbound but was denied by Chomow with a miraculous diving stop.
“There were definitely goals in the game,” said Viggiano. “As poorly as we played for the little spell when they got the fourth one, it should have been 4-3…That’s a team that has gotten caught from behind before.”
Fairfield then put the game out of reach just a minute later. Sophomore midfielder Illia Tyrkus finished into a goalie–less Marist net off of a cross from junior midfielder Audun Engen Vik. Tyrkus, a transfer from Rutgers, opened his account with the Stags.
The mass substitutions came a couple of minutes later, with each side making at least four. Viggiano made eight subs, including sophomore goalie Alex Murania coming on for Lowell to make his career debut. Junior Shayan Rad came in for Chomow, also making his career debut. Freshman midfielder Ben Mills and freshman striker Noah Mellen also made their Marist debuts as part of the changes.
This loss will likely drop Marist out of the top-25 rankings, although they still sit towards the top of the MAAC with seven games to go.
“I don’t know if the number next to us is something that bothers the group,” said Viggiano about his side being ranked. “It’s uncharted waters for the school and the team itself.”
The Red Foxes have a quick turnaround, travelling to Niagara for a clash on Saturday, October 4th.
“This is your wake-up call,” said Viggiano. “There’s a reason we were ranked 17th in the country…let’s just start winning again.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 2 pm.
Edited by Michael Schiavone
Graphic by Isabel Cortese
Photo from Cassidy Connors
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