LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's soccer team earned a big Northeast Conference victory on Friday afternoon as the Red Flash defeated Bryant, 1-0, at Stokes Soccerplex. Francis de Vries (Christchurch, New Zealand/Cashmere) scored on a penalty kick in the 75th minute for the only goal of the match.
 
The decider came on a handball call against the Bulldogs in the box, leading to an automatic penalty kick due to the foul. SFU selected its All-America defender in de Vries to take the shot, and his first attempt was a low shot to the left that was stopped by Bryant keeper Chris Knaub. On de Vries' approach, however, the officials ruled that Bryant entered the box before the kick. That gave de Vries a second chance, and he didn't miss on that attempt. It was de Vries' only shot attempt of the game, but he played a typical steady match from the back line along with the rest of the Red Flash defense.
 
Though the penalty kick gave the match its first goal, both teams had opportunities in the lead-up to the goal. Conner Rezende (Davie, Fla. /University School at Nova Southeastern) had four shots to lead the Flash, and his best chance came in the final minutes of the first half. He got free behind the Bryant defense, but his point blank shot was stopped. Bryant's best two opportunities came a bit earlier in the first half. Curtis Orth had a free kick from approximately 25 yards out that was destined for the back of the net just under the crossbar, but Red Flash keeper Marcus Rojas (Fremont, Calif./Bellarmine College Preparatory) made a leaping save to knock the ball over the crossbar. With just under 12 minutes remaining, Matt Guerriero had a shot from the top of the box that was smoked, but it squarely hit the crossbar and bounced away to keep the game scoreless.
 
Early in the second half, Brendan McGhee (Pickering, Ontario, Canada/St. Mary's Catholic) found himself in the middle of three offensive chances for the Red Flash. In the 50th minute, his free kick entered the six-yard box and found Mario Mastrangelo (Venetia, Pa/Peters Township), but his header went high. In the 58th minute, Mastrangelo returned the favor with a pass to McGhee from the right side. McGhee one-touched a hard shot towards Knaub, but he made the stop. In the 69th minute, McGhee broke behind the defense and had a clear path to Knaub down the right side. He tried to beat Knaub to the short side, but the Bryant keeper was up to the task with a kick save. Six minutes after that opportunity, the Red Flash earned the penalty kick that gave SFU the victory.
 
Saint Francis outshot Bryant, 22-10, and held a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks.
 
The Red Flash continues NEC play at home Sunday against Fairleigh Dickinson at 1 p.m.