Juan Pablo Cedeno Varea's late second half tally propelled the top seeded St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Soccer team to a 1-0 shutout victory over the #4 seed University of Bridgeport on Wednesday afternoon in the East Coast Conference Tournament Semifinal at Spartan Field in Sparkill.
STAC improves to 10-3-3 and now advances to Saturday's ECC Championship Final, which will also be held at Spartan Field, while Bridgeport closes out its 2021 season with a record of 5-7-5.
The Spartans and Purple Knights battled to a scoreless tie in the first half, with all major stat categories being largely even. STAC held a 5-4 shots advantage, while Bridgeport had a 1-0 edge in corner kicks and both teams recorded eight fouls apiece through 45 minutes of action.
Following the halftime break, the teams were able to get off three shots each through the first 15 minutes of play in the new stanza, before the Purple Knights would pick up the next three shots, with the first being blocked by the Spartan defense, the next getting saved by keeper Asier Vegas and another going high over the net.
STAC, hoping for something that could change the momentum of the match back into their favor, pressured the UB defense on every ball sent into their end in the final 20 minutes of action looking for a turnover that would give the Spartans an offensive spark. The strategy finally worked in the waning minutes of the match, as a clearing attempt by the Purple Knights would be intercepted by Alexander Taylor at midfield. Taylor then sent a through ball to Juan Pablo Cedeno Varea who dribbled twice and fired a shot toward the net from just outside of the box, beating Bridgeport keeper Clement Anet at the left post to break the stalemate and give St. Thomas Aquinas a 1-0 lead with just under four minutes left to play.
In the final moments of the contest, Bridgeport would have multiple chances to tie things, earning two corner kicks and getting a shot from Felipe Ospina that went just wide of the net. However, the clock would not be on the side of the Purple Knights and time would run out on their season, giving STAC a thrilling 1-0 win.
Inside the Box Score
- Juan Pablo Cedeno Varea late-game tally was his third of the season
- Asier Vegas (W, 9-2-2) stopped all five shots faced in net for the Spartans, earning his fifth shutout in 2021.
- Cedeno would lead all players in shots on the afternoon with four (three on goal).
- STAC and Bridgeport registered 11 shots each in the match, with the Purple Knights getting a 5-2 advantage on corner kicks.
- The victory was the first-ever postseason triumph for St. Thomas Aquinas at Spartan Field.
Up Next
#1 St. Thomas Aquinas College will host the ECC Men's Soccer Championship Final on Saturday, November 13 against the winner of the other semifinal contest between #2 University of the District of Columbia and #3 Molloy College. Kickoff of the championship match is scheduled for 12pm at Spartan Field in Sparkill.