McCann Comeback Attempt Comes up Short
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Down 3-0 at halftime, the McCann Tech boys' soccer team made a valiant comeback in its game against St. Joe's on Thursday. After pulling within one goal on two different occasions, however, the Hornets had to settle for a 4-3 loss at Clapp Park.Jonmung Hong, Matt Begrowicz and Chanhee Lee each had goals for the Crusaders in the first 31 minutes of the game, giving the hosts a sizable lead at halftime. Adam Kozik's squad cleaned things up a bit in the second half, though, and started chipping away at St. Joe's lead with consecutive goals by freshman Shane Fuller in the 45th and 60th minute of play.
"St. Joe's had great passing and ball control for most of the game, especially in the first half," Kozik said. "They capitalized on a couple of our sloppy plays and had one nice shot to lead 3-0 in the half. In the second half, our squad played more aggressively, possessed the ball more, and had two very nice far shots that reached the left corner of the goal. We also capitalized on a free kick to get a third goal."
Begrowicz slowed down the McCann attack by scoring his second goal of the game in the 71st minute, but freshman Jonathan Leal finished off a pass by junior Chad Raimer one minute later to cut the Crusaders' back down to one. St. Joe's ened up holding the Hornets off, but Kozik was pleased with with team's effort as the game wore on.
"Overall, we played much better in the second half," he said. "The fourth goal by St. Joe was a nice shot but, again, set up by lack of clearance by our defense. In general, I'm happy with the way we played. It really was a good step up for us as a team."
Senior Jake Ziter was a standout for the McCann defense, while Connor Vazquez made 17 shots in goal for the Hornets.
McCann returns to action with a 4 p.m. home game against Mount Everett on Friday.