MONTEVALLO, Ala. (August 31, 2007) ' The
ninth-ranked Rollins men's soccer team suffered their first loss of
the season on Friday night, falling to Montevallo 5-2 in a match
that was called in the 76th minute due to weather.' Rollins dropped
to 2-1 with the loss, while Montevallo improved to 1-2 with the
victory.
Montevallo wasted no time in taking the lead, as James Ward
scored after 38 seconds thanks to assists from Jonathan Maloney and
Glenn Murphy.' The Falcons extended their lead to 2-0 on a penalty
kick by Maloney in the 43rd minute.' Montevallo controlled the pace
of much of the first half, out-shooting the Tars 7-2.' The first
half was also a physical affair, as the teams combined for 21 fouls
in the opening frame.
Rollins came out refocused in the second half, putting together
better passing combinations and attempting more shots.' But as the
clouds and wind started up around the 70th minute, both teams
started firing away.' Montevallo's Milan Pualic fired first,
scoring at the 72:28 mark off an assist by Maloney.' Rollins junior
Dennis Chin then put the Tars on the board less than 30 second
later thanks to an assist by junior Jon Gruenewald.' Rollins
narrowed the lead to one when sophomore Thomas Makin scored at the
74:00 mark with an assist from Chin, but Puliac's goal 14 seconds
later and Maloney's goal at the 75:12 mark put the game out of
reach, giving the Falcons a 5-2 lead.' Less than a minute after the
final goal, the officials took the teams off the field and
eventually called the game due to thunderstorms in the area.
Rollins goalkeeper Frazer Siddall saved three shots for the
Tars, and his Montevallo counterpart Melford James Jr. stopped one
shot for the Falcons.
Montevallo out-shot the Tars 10-8 in the game, but Rollins was
awarded six corner kicks to the Falcons' one.' Both teams played a
physical game, combining for 30 total fouls with Rollins being
called for 17 and Montevallo 13.
The Tars will look to get back on the winning track at
Alabama-Huntsville on Sunday, September 2 at 2:30 p.m. local time
(3:30 ET).' Fans can listen to all the action live on the Tars
Sports Network at www.RollinsSports.tv.
