NEW BRITAIN, CONN.- Mario Mastrangelo (Venetia, Pa/Peters Township) came off the bench to score a hat trick, leading the Red Flash to a 3-1 victory over the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils on Sunday afternoon.
The win moves Saint Francis to 9-5-3 overall and 4-2 in the Northeast Conference, the win also clinches a spot for the Red Flash in the conference tournament two weeks from now.
Mastrangelo opened the scoring in the 43rd minute of play,taking a long pass from Pablo Media and burying a shot into the left corner of the net. The goal capped off a defensive-minded period for both teams. Neither had many chances to score.
Pablo Medina (Monterrey, Mexico/IMG Academies) had a shot saved in the second minute of the match. Central Connecticut pressured midway through the first half but a shot from Freddy Metellus deflected off of starting keeper
Marcus Rojas (Fremont, Calif./Bellarmine College Preparatory) and off the top of the crossbar. The freshman's seventh goal of the season was the lone tally of the first half as SFU went into the break up 1-0.
The Blue Devils pressed early in the second half, earning a corner kick in the opening moments. The set piece led to two CCSU shots, but neither would find the target. Mastrangelo and Medina would connect again in the 52nd minute on a nearly identical play from the first-half goal. Medina again sent a long ball to Mastrangelo who found the back of the net on the left side to make it 2-0.
CCSU would continue to press, but could not break the back line of the Red Flash. The Blue Devils would have one attempt blocked and another handled by Rojas, who made three saves in the win. The Blue Devils would cut into the lead in the 80th minute after
Andrew Hajec (Corry, Pa./Corry) drew a yellow card on a CCSU corner kick. The foul resulted in a penalty shot, which Zach Zurita converted to make it a 2-1 contest.
The Red Flash would respond as Mastrangelo netted his third goal of the game and ninth of the saeson in the 88th minute to put the match away.
Troye Kiernan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) crossed the ball to Mastrangelo who put it past keeper Nick Velleca. Mastrangelo's three goals came on just four shots and all three on net found the scoreboard.
Saint Francis out shot CCSU 13-11 and 5-4 in shots on goal and SFU held an identical 5-4 edge on corner kicks. They will wrap up the regular season on senior day as they host Robert Morris in a match that will determine seeding for the upcoming conference tournament. Match time is set for 1 P.M. with senior day festivities prior to the match.
