NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The No. 7 seed Rivier men's soccer team's historic season ended on Saturday afternoon as they were defeated in overtime by No. 2 Albertus Magnus at Celentano Field in the GNAC Quarterfinals, 2-1.
With the result, the Raiders finished the season 7-6-7 while the Falcons improved to 11-4-4 and move on to face JWU (Providence) on Tuesday in the semifinal round.
The match opened competitively, with both teams showcasing strong defensive units. The Falcons eventually opened the scoring in the 27th minute when Lorenzo Lauria found the back of the net from a slick pass by Gabriel Paglia, giving the Falcons a 1-0 lead.
Rivier found the equalizer early in the second half as Luiggi Ferreira finished off a pass from Jose Ochoa inside the six-yard box to tie the game at one apiece.
Both teams maintained their momentum, generating several scoring opportunities, but neither could convert, ultimately sending the match into extra time.
With less than a minute remaining in the first overtime period, the Falcons secured the game-winner when Morgan Stone headed home a pass from Johan Stagnaro into the top right corner, clinching a 2-1 victory.
Sophomore goalkeeper Logan Clough recorded eight saves in the loss.
Under the leadership of first-year head coach Jon Cross, the Raiders achieved their first winning season since 2000 and recorded their best conference performance since 2003. The team also hosted and won their first playoff game since 2000, becoming the first Raiders squad to reach the playoffs since 2016.
