ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – Seth Hammond and Dean Mercer scored three minutes apart late in the second half, lifting the St. Bonaventure University men's soccer team to a 2-1 comeback victory over George Washington Saturday evening at the Marra Athletics Complex.
Trailing 1-0 with just 18 minutes remaining, Hammond took a pass from Hugo Berville, settled the ball and fired a shot on target to level the match at 1-1.
Moments later in the 82nd minute, Mercer pounced on a deflection off a GW defender and slotted home the game-winner through traffic.
George Washington pushed for an equalizer in the closing stages, but the Bonnies defense held firm to secure three points in the Atlantic 10 standings.
The Bonnies (3-4-2, 1-1-1 A-10) generated their best first-half opportunities in the 29th minute. Mercer broke free with a clear look on goal before the defense converged to block his shot. Off the corner, Xavier Davidson rose above the defense, but his header sailed just over the bar.
The Revolutionaries (2-6-2, 0-2-0 A-10) struck first in the 51st minute when Tommaso Lami converted a free kick delivered by Finn Roberts. They nearly doubled the lead in the 76th, but Bonnies goalkeeper Felix Schöne was there with a crucial stop.
Neshawn Sutherland paced the Bonnies with three shots, while Ricardo Rittersberger Galan, Harry Booth, Hammond and Mercer each registered two. Schöne finished with three saves in net.
St. Bonaventure returns to action Tuesday, Sept. 30, with a non-conference road matchup at Cleveland State. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH MICK GIORDANO
"Really proud of the boys. We did a bit of an extra session after practice yesterday and those were the goals that you saw tonight. The Atlantic 10 is so difficult and anything can happen. We were proud to see that no one put their head down and kept driving on."
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