First-Half Flurry Lifts Men's Soccer Over Colby-Sawyer, 4-0, Saturday Afternoon

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team scored three goals inside the opening 10 minutes to triumph over Colby-Sawyer College (CSC), 4-0, Saturday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on the USJ Soccer Field in West Hartford, Conn. The victory increased the Blue Jays' winning streak to seven games and its unbeaten run to eight games. The winning streak is now the longest in program history. With the result, the Blue Jays improved to 7-3-1 on the year and 6-0-1 in GNAC play, while the Chargers dropped to 4-8-0 overall and 1-6-0 in the conference.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• The Blue Jays wasted little time finding the back of the net, as freshman forward Damir Cirikovic (Southington, Conn.) played a through ball down the left flank into the path of graduate student midfielder Henry McGarrah V (Hartford, Conn.) who then whipped a low cross to freshman midfielder Justin Cardinale (Wolcott, Conn.) that was buried first time into the net, establishing a 1-0 USJ edge at the 3:08 mark.
• USJ quickly increased the gap to 2-0 after sophomore midfielder Nate Gabriel (Naugatuck, Conn.) intercepted a CSC pass, before sliding the ball to McGarrah V, who took a touch and fired his strike past the CSC goalkeeper with 5:20 on the clock.
• The offensive onslaught continued for the Blue Jays, as McGarrah V worked his way into the box, moving past two defenders before placing the ball into the bottom left corner to establish a 3-0 USJ lead with only seven minutes played in the match.
• The Blue Jays continued to control the remainder of the half, nearly scoring a fourth as senior midfielder Joseph Fineboy (Minneapolis, Minn.) saw his effort hit the post at the 37:01 mark.
• Neither team would find the back of the net to close out the remainder of the half, as USJ held a 3-0 edge entering the break.
• The second half featured both teams generating chances that neither side could convert, as the score remainder 3-0 entering the final 15 minutes.
• The Chargers were gifted a perfect opportunity to begin a comeback, winning a penalty kick at the 76:03 mark, but freshman goalkeeper Aidan Peterson (Cheshire, Conn.) came up big for the Blue Jays, diving down to his left and denying CSC's senior midfielder Ryan Wilson effort to preserve the clean sheet.
• The Blue Jays then had their own chance to increase the scoring, winning a penalty kick with 83:38 on the clock. Senior forward Dane Stephens (Linstead, Jamaica) would step up for USJ, sending the keeper the wrong way to increase the gap to 4-0.
• CSC generated a couple of late scoring chances, but Peterson would deny the Chargers of a consolation goal as the Blue Jays secured a 4-0 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• McGarrah scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season, and recorded his third assist.
• Cardinale scored his second goal of the year.
• Peterson played all 90 minutes in goal for USJ, recording his second shutout of the season after making five saves to pick up the win (3-0-0).
• USJ held a 22-16 advantage in shots.
• CSC had the edge in corner kicks, earning seven compared to USJ's four.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays continue a three-game homestand on Wednesday, October 9, hosting intrastate and conference rivals Albertus Magnus College. Opening kickoff against the Falcons on the USJ Soccer Field is set for 6:00 p.m.

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