Men's Soccer Outlasts SUNY Poly, Earns Season-Opening Victory, 5-3

1. UTICA, N.Y. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team began the 2023 campaign with a bang, taking down SUNY Poly in an eight-goal thriller, 5-3, Friday night on Wildcat Field in Utica, N.Y. With the result, the Blue Jays begin the year 1-0-0 while the Wildcats move to 0-1-0.

KEY MOMENTS 

• USJ wasted little time opening up the scoring, taking the lead in the tenth minute. After dominating the early portions of the game, graduate student midfielder Michael Torres (Hartford, Conn.) picked out sophomore forward Emmanuel Ofori (East Hartford, Conn.), who fired his shot past the keeper, giving USJ a 1-0 edge.
• Senior midfielder Henry McGarrah V (Hartford, Conn.) continued the Blue Jays' offensive onslaught, doubling the visitors advantage with an unassisted strike at the 12:18 mark.
• SUNY Poly looked to get back in the game, but junior goalkeeper El Hadji Anne (Bronx, N.Y.) stood firm in goal, denying the hosts a chance back in the game.
• Senior forward Dane Stephens (Linstead, Jamaica) rewarded his netminder at the 37:56 mark, as Torres showcased his playmaking ability by finding Stephens before he rifled his shot past the SUNY Poly netminder, increasing the gap to 3-0.
• The Wildcats would show some sparks of life to close the first half, as Jephte Joseph cut the gap to two, 3-1, with a goal just before halftime.
• The hosts carried the momentum in the second half, as Joseph and Payton Bennett scored within a 23 second span to tie the game at 3-3.
• USJ would not be deterred by the fight back, as Ofori turned provider, sending in a perfect cross from a corner that found the head of sophomore defender Nicholas Simpson (Mansfield, Conn.), who guided the ball into the net, reestablishing a 4-3 USJ edge with half an hour to play.
• The hosts would put a dent in their comeback attempt, going down to 10 men at the 68:34 mark after Xander Novack was shown a red card.
• The Wildcats continued to push for the equalizer, despite playing down a man, but Anne continued to deny the hosts of the tying goal.
• Ofori would round out his stellar debut game with his second goal of the game with five minutes to play, securing a 5-3 season-opening win for USJ.

NOTES 

• SUNY Poly outshot the Blue Jays, 21-19, and held a 6-4 edge in corner kicks.
• Stephens paced the offense with a team-high seven shots.
• Ofori led the team with two goals and one assist for a five-point outing.
• Anne posted six saves in his USJ debut, earning the win to move to 1-0-0 on the year.
• Ryan Primus played the entire game in net for SUNY Poly, posting seven saves to drop to 0-1-0 on the season.
• With the result, USJ extends its winning streak against SUNY Poly to two matches, increasing its edge in the all-time series to 2-0-0. 

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays return to West Hartford for its 2023 season opener, hosting Bridgewater State University on Wednesday, September 6. Kick-off in the inaugural meeting between the Blue Jays and Bears is set for 3:30 p.m. on the USJ Soccer Field.

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