(10-02-07)
Box Score
WEST HAVEN, Conn. -- Junior Jessey Fernandez (photo) connected on two free kicks that were separated by a delay of nearly 20 minutes late in the second half, leading the University of New Haven to a 2-1 upset of No. 23 University of Bridgeport in an East Coast Conference men's soccer match at Kayo Field on Tuesday afternoon.
Fernandez knocked home his third and fourth goals of the season from virtually the same spot on the field at the 74:44 and 76:33 marks to sew up the victory for UNH (3-7-0, 2-3-0 ECC). While Fernandez's goals came just 1 minute, 49 seconds apart on paper, the second score was actually delayed nearly 20 minutes due to an injury on the field requiring an ambulance.
On the first tally, Jason Zurita soft-touched an indirect free kick to the left, where freshman Nick Pezzente stopped the rolling ball and Fernandez hit a hard, bending line drive to the lower left corner of the net.
Once play resumed following the injury stoppage, UNH had a direct free kick from about six feet outside the top of the box on the right side. UNH aligned just as they had for their first score, but instead of touching the ball to the side, Fernandez took a running start and buried the game-winner into the left side of the goal.
Bridgeport, which falls to 5-3-3 overall and 1-1-1 in the ECC, had been ranked 23rd in the NSCAA/adidas national rankings released earlier in the afternoon. The Purple Knights, who had more shots by an 18-5 margin, got on the board just 58 seconds into the contest with an unassisted goal by Blaise Njie.
But UNH was able to keep UB off the board for the rest of the first half to keep themselves in the contest, and finally applied sustained offensive pressure late in the second period which led to their chances.
This match was the first of three for the Chargers at home this week. They host ECC foe St. Thomas Aquinas this Saturday at 1:00 p.m., and then non-conference foe Felician College on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
