Men's Soccer Drops Season Opener to USJ
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Joseph (Conn.) (1-0-0, 0-0-0) | 3 | 3 | 6 |
|
Mitchell (0-1-0, 0-0-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's soccer team opened the 2021 season with a 6-0 loss to the University of Saint Joseph on Wednesday evening in a contest that ended in the 78th minute due to darkness.
The Blue Jays scored three goals in each half to open their season with a victory. Five players found the back of the net, though it was a score by Mergim Kutllovci in the ninth minute that went down as the game winner.
Saint Joseph held a 21-5 edge in total shots and held a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks. Goalkeeper Matthew Goebel stopped the only Mitchell shot on goal to record the clean sheet.
Kutllovci's goal came off a free kick from just outside the penalty area on the left side. After a quick touch on the restart was settled by Michael Torres, Kutllovci sniped the top-right corner with a beautiful strike to put the visitors on top early.
After an own goal made it 2-0, DeAnte Anderson sliced through the Mitchell back line to add to the margin in the 34th minute off a feed from Dane Stephens. The Blue Jays took the 3-0 lead into intermission as Mitchell looked to regroup.
Jared Galarza opened the second-half scoring in the 59th minute by stealing a ball from a defender and finishing into the side netting. Benjamin Marchetti and Juan Torres also added markers in the 71st and 78th minutes, respectively.
Mitchell's Dylan Kinsella made eight saves in his collegiate debut in goal.
Mitchell (0-1-0 overall) will next face Albertus Magnus College on Saturday, September 4 at 2 p.m.
