Men's Soccer Wins Third Straight, Defeats New England College on the Road Saturday

HENNIKER, N.H. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team picked up its third-straight victory, besting New England College (NEC), 3-1, on the road Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match at Don Melander Field in Henniker, N.H. With the result, the Blue Jays improved to 10-4-3 on the year and 9-1-3 in GNAC play, while the Pilgrims fell to 4-7-6 overall and 3-6-5 in the conference.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• The Blue Jays controlled the early portion of the match, forcing a pair of fine saves out of the NEC goalkeeper, Hayden Walker.
• USJ would be granted a golden opportunity to open the scoring, winning a penalty kick at the 24:57 mark. Graduate student midfielder Henry McGarrah V (Hartford, Conn.) would step up to take the spot kick, guiding the ball past Walker to establish a 1-0 lead.
• The Pilgrims would answer back just before halftime, as Levi Campell headed the ball into the net off a corner kick, tying the game at 1-1 heading into halftime.
• The opening 25 minutes of the second half proved to be a battle of the midfield, as neither offense could generate a scoring chance.
• USJ would find the breakthrough at the 71:22 mark, as McGarrah laid off a pass to freshman midfielder Justin Cardinale (Wolcott, Conn.) who ripped a low-driven shot from 25 yards out, that caused Walker trouble, as the ball bobbled past his legs into the net, establishing a 2-1 Blue Jays' lead.
• The Blue Jays put the game to rest with 81:41 on the clock, as McGarrah V whipped in a cross from the right flank that bounced in the box before finding freshman midfielder Mario Milardo (Middletown, Conn.), who fired the ball into the net, increasing the gap to 3-1.
• The hosts would be reduced to 10 men at the 86:39 mark as Nathan Day was shown a red card.
• The deficit proved too much for the Pilgrims to overcome, as USJ went home as 3-1 victors.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• McGarrah V netted his team-leading 10th goal of the season, while also dishing out his team-best fifth and sixth assists of the year.
• Milardo scored his fourth goal of the campaign, while Cardinale tallied his third.
• Freshman goalkeeper Will Slayton (Manchester, Conn,) played all 90 minutes in net for USJ, picking up the win (7-1-3) after recording six saves.
• USJ held a significant edge in shots, outshooting NEC 23-10.
• The Blue Jays also held a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays conclude the 2024 regular season at home against intrastate foes Mitchell College on Tuesday, October 29. The match against the Mariners will serve as Senior Day for the USJ men's soccer program. Opening kickoff on the USJ Soccer Field is set for 4:00 p.m.

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