HAVERFORD, Pa. – Nick Jannelli continued his last minute heroics Saturday afternoon with a goal that came with just 52.2 seconds remaining in regulation to give the Fords (6-1-1, 1-1 CC) a 3-2 win over rival Franklin & Marshall (3-4-1, 1-1 CC) in a key Centennial Conference matchup. Jannelli also put the Fords ahead early in the second half and assisted on a game-tying goal during the first half that was scored by Ben Field.
Jannelli's career-best five point game was the second such outing of his career after he also had two goals and an assist against Johns Hopkins last season. The sophomore now has eight goals and two assists this season for a total of 18 points through the first eight games. He has also tallied the game-winning goal in five of Haverford's six wins this season. His heroics today come just three days after he scored the game-winning goal in overtime during Haverford's 1-0 win at Scranton on Wednesday.
Prior to the match's final goal. Each team held a lead earlier in the contest. The visiting Diplomats got off to a strong start in the 18th minute when Jason Tonelli fought through the Fords defense on a set piece and collected the possession inside the 18 for a 1-0 lead. Ben Draheim, who also assisted on the second goal later in the game, was credited with his first helper of the day on the play.
Just over four minutes after Franklin & Marshall took the lead, Field came up with his first goal of the season to give Haverford the equalizer. Haverford's senior captain outran the defense to catch up to a pass Jannelli played through the defense. Field's finish gave him his 13th career goal. The Fords nearly took the lead with five minutes to play before the break as William Edwards found space at the top of the 18 but ricocheted his shot off the crossbar and out of harm's way.
After setting up the first goal of the game, Jannelli put the Fords ahead for the first time on Saturday when he headed home a cross from Edwards in the 59th minute of play. Edwards' assist was his first career helper. That lead stood for nearly half an hour until Ryan Corr headed home a cross with a diving effort. His goal came inside the box off a throw from Draheim to knot the score at two with 3:52 left in regulation time.
However, those three-plus minutes were all the time Haverford needed to secure its first conference win of the season. Returning to the lineup on Saturday, Dorian Wirz made an immediate impact when his pass put Jannelli on the doorstep of the game-winning goal. The new NCAA co-leader in game-winning goals would not disappoint in his finish to give Haverford the lead for good.
Both teams provided good pressure in front of the net with each goalie coming up with several stops on crosses into the box. Jeremy Astesano recorded the win for the Fords to improve to 6-1 on the year. He made two saves on the afternoon. The Fords finished with an 11-9 edge in shots. Each side recorded four shots on goal.
Men's soccer will now embark on a three-game road trip that will carry the team into the month of October. During this upcoming week, Haverford will make trips to Muhlenberg (Wednesday) and Gettysburg (Saturday). Both of those Centennial Conference matches are slated for 7 p.m. starts.