Box Score PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – Sophomore defender Michael Vogel (Burgkirchen, Germany) cleared a ball of the goal line during the 83rd minute and senior goalkeeper George Hernandez (Paterson, N.J.) made four of his five saves after halftime to help the Felician University men's soccer team hold off Chestnut Hill College and pick up a 2-1 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference victory over the host Griffins on Sunday afternoon on a rain-soaked Victory Field #1.
Felician (4-5, 3-2 CACC) has won consecutive games for the first time since closing the 2018 campaign with a pair of wins.
The Golden Falcons jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead. Graduate defender Xabier Aizpuru (Barakaldo, Spain) knocked a direct kick off the inside of the goalpost and in the net just seven minutes, 31 seconds, into the contest. The visitors doubled their advantage during the 34th minute when senior Raul Abellan (Girona, Spain) set up freshman Paulo Santos (Lodi, N.J.) for a strike from the left side. The marker was Santos' first collegiate goal.
The second period saw Felician on the defensive. Chestnut Hill (0-7-3, 0-4-1) eventually piled up advantages of 8-1 in shots and 6-1 in corner kicks over the final 45 minutes. The pressure paid off early in the half when CHC graduate student Lucas De Sa (Bahia, Brazil) found the goal in the 52nd minute.
Hernandez made two stops in the next five minutes to stabilize the game for Felician, but the key save came down the stretch from Vogel, who volleyed away a well struck ball from inside the 18-yard box that appeared ticketed for the net's lower right corner. In between, Vogel, Aizpuru and the rest of the Golden Falcon back line prevented the Griffins from creating dangerous opportunities. Hernandez secured the victory with a routine save during the match's final 10 seconds.
Felician had not won back-to-back road games since Sept. 24 and Oct. 1, 2016.
The Golden Falcons step away from CACC action for the final time this season when they travel to the College of Staten Island on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
