Men’s Soccer Holds Off Emmanuel for Second GNAC Victory
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Emmanuel (Mass.) (0-4-1, 0-3-1) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Mitchell (2-1-2, 2-1-1) | 2 | 0 | 2 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's soccer team notched their second GNAC victory of the season on Saturday afternoon at home, holding off Emmanuel College 2-1 in a physical battle of the conference foes.
Senior Nick Ghirardi (East Lyme, Conn.) scored for the second consecutive game, while freshman Gianmarco Delacruz (East Hartford, Conn.) added his second goal of the season in a matchup which was high in intensity and physicality.
Early on the game was a defensive battle, with both teams struggling to get off many shots and much of the action taking place in the middle of the field. The Mariners were able to snap a scoreless tie when a foul in the penalty area awarded them a penalty kick in the 28th minute of play. For the second time in as many games, Ghirardi was tasked with taking the PK and he delivered. The senior used a stutter step to throw off the Emmanuel keeper before striking the ball with his right foot, sending it flying towards the back of the net.
The Mariners added one more goal before the intermission, when Flavio Alvarado (New London, Conn.) intercepted a pass by the Saints near the center circle and turned on the offensive attack. The sophomore repositioned and delivered a perfect pass to a streaking Gianmarco Delacuz down the far side. Delacruz ran with it, made his defender miss, and delivered a kick with his left foot, booting the ball right into the top right corner of the goal.
Emmanuel trimmed the deficit early in the second half when Joey Soucy sent one home after Mitchell keeper Dylan Kinsella (Waterbury, Conn.) was pulled away from the net. Mitchell was then able to turn up the defense, preventing a Saints attack that got off 16 second half shots.
Freshman Jesse Jenkins (Windsor, Conn.) got the start in goal for the Mariners, but Kinsella took over early in the second half when Jenkins was issued a red card. Kinsella surrendered just one goal and made four saves, many of them in big moments down the stretch.
Maddox Pierce logged all 90 minutes in net for the Saints and made four saves against six shots on goal.
The Saints outshot the Mariners 22-6, including 16-2 in shots on goal.
The Mariners (2-1-2, 2-1-1 GNAC) will look to made it two wins in a row when they face the University of Saint Joseph on Tuesday, September 19th, in a GNAC showdown. The Saints (0-4-1, 0-3-1 GNAC) return to play on Tuesday, September 19th, when they travel for a GNAC match against St. Joseph's College (ME).
