Pinheiro Tallies First Two Career Goals in Men's Soccer's 3-1 Win Against Iona
BOX SCORE
ALBANY, N.Y. – University at Albany men's soccer (2-1-2) took to home field advantage on Friday night, downing Iona (1-3-1) 3-1 in a physical game at Bob Ford Field. Freshman Afonso Pinheiro tallied two goals for the Great Danes in the win.
“We're really pleased with the result, and being able to score three goals at home,” said head coach Trevor Gorman. “The way we rebounded from last weekend, it was nice to see us play well and take advantage of the space they gave us. Iona is a very good team, and our guys really stepped up for a good performance in front of the home crowd.”
Brandon Wilson got the offense rolling for the Purple & Gold, nearly connecting on a free kick service from Luke Palmateer. The senior forward went up for the header but missed wide left.
On the ensuing corner kick, Martin Gorrie recovered the rebound in the box to find Jake Barros near post, but the freshman couldn't convert.
Iona charged down the field for a quality attempt of its own shortly after. The Gaels forced Tim Allen out of the net to make a diving save, leaving the goal open on the far side. Senior defender Dominic McGarr slid in to keep the score tied at zero on the second shot attempt.
In the 18th minute, Leo Folla turned in traffic to find Barros on the right side. Barros pulled the ball back for Brandon Wilson across the middle, but the Iona keeper saved Wilson's shot from 10 yards out.
After making its first flight of substitutions in the first half, fresh legs made an immediate impact, as Pedro Espindola dribbled down the right side to find Pinheiro at the six-yard box. The Brazillian pair gave UAlbany a 1-0 lead with just over 10 minutes left to play in the first half.
With the game becoming increasingly physical late in the first half, three yellow cards were issued in four minutes. Philip Persson was taken down in the box with 2:30 left in the period to set up the Pinheiro penalty shot. The freshman gave the Purple & Gold a 2-0 lead going into the break.
The game continued with the aggressive trend to open the second half. After several stoppages of play, both teams appeared out of rhythm and neither were able to score. Leo Melgar broke through the left side late in the period and fired low from the top of the eighteen. Melgar scored unassisted with eight minutes to play.
Iona did not go away quietly, catching UAlbany off-guard with less than four minutes to play to stifle the shutout attempt.
In UAlbany's 3-1 win over Iona, the teams combined for 32 fouls and nine yellow cards. Allen took the win between the pipes with three saves.
The Great Danes (2-1-2) hit the road for Villanova (0-3) to face the Wildcats at 4:00 p.m., on Sunday.
