Men’s Soccer Opens GNAC Play by Blanking Elms

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Mitchell College men's soccer team opened up Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play by posting a 2-0 road victory over Elms College at Timothy J. Leary Field on Tuesday night. The win marks the first ever in GNAC play for a Mitchell College athletic program. The Mariners joined the conference this past summer after their previous conference, the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC), disbanded.

Senior Nick Ghirardi (East Lyme, Conn.) got the Mariners on the board midway through the first half, capitalizing on a free kick opportunity from just outside the top of the box with 17:37 on the clock. After a yellow card was called on Jonas Landheer of the Blazers, Ghirardi was in the advantageous position of being awarded the free kick and delivered, striking the ball with his right foot and sending it soaring into the top right corner of the net, outside the reach of the leaping Elms keeper. The goal was the first of the season for Ghirardi and the ninth in his Mariner career.

The score remained 1-0 until late in the 63rd minute of play, when sophomore Flavio Alvarado (New London, Conn.) beautifully set up Gianmarco Delacruz (East Hartford, Conn.), and the freshman delivered by finding the back of the net for his first collegiate goal. The assist was the second of the season for Alvarado, who leads the team in that offensive category.

Freshman goalkeeper Jesse Jenkins (Windsor, Conn.) logged all 90 minutes in the goal during his first collegiate start, making five saves on the way to earning the shutout.

The Mariners outshot the Blazers 12-11, including six shots on goal to just five for the home team. Noslin Antunez (Westbrook, Conn.) paced the visiting squad with a team-high four shots, two of them on goal, while Ghirardi and Delacruz got off three shots apiece.

Emmanuel Monge, Jimmy Maznicki, and Patricio Vidales each tallied two shots for Elms, while goalkeeper Collin Liedke collected four saves in the loss.

Mitchell (1-0-1, 1-0 GNAC) will return to action on Saturday, September 9, when they return to conference play with a road match at Rivier University at 3:00 pm. The Blazers (0-3-0, 0-1 GNAC) will continue conference play on Saturday as well, traveling to face Regis College.