Men's Soccer Blanks Rivier Saturday, 4-0

NASHUA, N.H. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team dominated on the road at Rivier University (Rivier), defeating the Raiders, 4-0, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match on Saturday afternoon in Nashua. The Blue Jays scored once in the first half, before adding three more goals in the second half to secure the victory. 

GAME INFORMATION 
Score: USJ 4, Rivier 0 
Records: USJ (9-3-3, 6-2-3 GNAC), Rivier (5-7-3, 2-7-2 GNAC) 
Location: Joanne Merrill Field (Nashua, N.H) 

KEY MOMENTS 

• USJ wasted little time trying to find the opener, as graduate student forward DeAnte Anderson (Bloomfield, Conn.) saw his strike inside the opening minute be well saved by Rivier's goalkeeper. Senior forward Mergim Kutllovci (Thomaston, Conn.) followed up Anderson's effort with a shot of his own in the fourth minute, also being denied by the Raiders netminder. 

• The Blue Jays continued to pile on the pressure in the opening quarter of an hour, finding the breakthrough in the 17th minute. Senior Michael Torres (Hartford, Conn.) played a beautiful through ball into the path of senior forward Benjamin Marchetti (Higganum, Conn.). Marchetti struck his shot first time, which cannoned off the left post. The rebound directly fell to Kutllovci, who fired the ball into the open net, giving the Blue Jays the lead. 

• USJ continued to dominate possession, generating numerous scoring chances in the first half. Kuttlovci almost netted his second of the half in the 32nd minute, but his shot was well saved by Rivier's goalkeeper. 

• The Blue Jays defense continued to hold the Raider's offense at bay, not allowing a single shot in the opening 45 minutes as USJ took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break. 

• USJ continued to exert their offensive prowess early in the second half, finding their second goal two minutes after kickoff. Senior midfielder Valdet Nuredini (Watertown, Conn.) picked up a 50-50 ball in the midfield before picking out a pass to the streaking Anderson. Anderson kept his composure, looping the ball past the outrushing Rivier goalkeeper, extending the gap to 2-0. 

• Following the goal, the action would go quiet as USJ searched for their third goal of the day. However, Rivier would call junior goalkeeper Jose Miguel Garcia Martin (Madrid, Spain) into action, but the Blue Jay's keeper easily recorded the save, keeping the Raiders off the board. 

• After forcing numerous saves by Rivier's goalie, the Blue Jays were rewarded with their third goal in the 78th minute. Anderson would rush down the left flank, receiving a through ball and dribbling towards the goal line. After getting past his defender, he played a cut back pass to the feet of Marchetti, who slotted the ball into the back of the net, giving USJ a 3-0 edge. 

• USJ would put the final nail in the coffin in the 88th minute when junior forward Brian Silva (Naugatuck, Conn.) added a fourth. After seeing his initial shot hit the crossbar, he collected his own rebound, netting the Blue Jays fourth goal of the game. 

• The Blue Jays continued to play outstanding defense, preserving the clean sheet and taking home the 4-0 victory. 

QUOTABLE 

"Today was an excellent result," said head coach Paul Wright. "Our first half performance was below par as we looked lethargic. I give our players a lot of credit. They responded well in the second half, playing at a much higher tempo which resulted in a comfortable victory." 

NOTES 

• Anderson paced the offense with one goal and one assist for three points. 

• Marchetti netted his team-leading 11th goal of the campaign, while Anderson tallied his ninth, and Kutllovci and Silva netted their third each. 

• Garcia Martin tallied one save to keep his third clean sheet of the year, improving his record to 6-3-2 

• The shutout was the eighth of the season for the Blue Jays. 

• USJ dominated Rivier in shots, 25-3, including an 11-1 edge in shots on goal. 

• The Blue Jays also held a 5-0 advantage in corner kicks. 

• USJ remains undefeated against Rivier, extending the lead in the all-time series to 4-0. 

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