Second Half Goal Leads Men’s Soccer to Draw with Colby-Sawyer

NEW LONDON, N.H. – The Mitchell College men's soccer team played to a 1-1 draw against Colby-Sawyer College in a GNAC tilt on Saturday morning at Kelsey Soccer Field. Freshman Gianmarco Delacruz (East Hartford, Conn.), the reigning GNAC Rookie of the Week, scored the lone goal of the game for the Mariners, who move to 2-2-2 in conference play on the season.

The Chargers jumped out to an early lead when Kaden Lewis chipped in his third goal of the season, a shot from just outside the penalty area that took a bounce over Mitchell goalkeeper Jesse Jenkins (Windsor, Conn.). The match remained tied throughout the remainder of the first half and into second, until the Mariners converted on an equalizer in the 58th minute.

While applying pressure on the Colby-Sawyer goal, a clearance attempt by the Chargers put the ball at the feet of Mitchell's Nick Forst (Ellington, Conn.). The junior made a pass to fellow junior Matt Ladd (Griswold, Conn.), who sent the ball down into the penalty area, where it bounced off head of Mcwill Adu Asare (East Hartford, Conn.), and landed at the feet of Delacruz, setting him up with an uncontested opportunity due to the keeper's position outside the net. The freshman then capitalized, striking the ball with his right foot to collect his third goal of the season.

Jesse Jenkins logged all 90 minutes in the net for Mitchell, recording five saves against six shots on goal to move his record to 2-0-2 this fall. The Chargers held a 16-9 edge in total shots, a 6-3 advantage in shots on goal, while the Mariners had the upper hand in corner kick opportunities, 6-2.

Yener Bartolon tallied a pair of saves across 90 minutes in goal for Colby-Sawyer, while Kaden Lewis got off a team-best two shots on net for the home squad.

The Mariners (2-2-3, 2-2-2 GNAC) will return to action on Wednesday, September 27th, when they play a GNAC match at Dean College, scheduled to begin at 3:30 pm. The Chargers (2-4-2, 1-2-2 GNAC) play next on Wednesday, September 27th, when they travel to face Rivier University.