GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: Oct. 22, 2022
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LOCATION: Kathy Zolad Stadium.
West Haven, Conn. |
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GAME DAY LINKS |
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO |
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THE LEAD
The New Haven men's soccer team will finish off regular season play by hosting the Saint Michael's Purple Knights for senior day on Saturday afternoon. The Chargers look to finish the season on a high note as they enter the game on a two-game losing streak. The squad will play their final game at Kathy Zolad Stadium on Saturday, Oct 22 at 1 P.M.
SERIES HISTORY VS SAINT MICHAEL'S
This will only be the 14th meeting between these two NE10 programs.The series has been an even split so far as the Chargers hold a 6-6-1 record in the all-time battle. New Haven settled for a 1-1 draw after double overtime in their last meeting with the Purple Knights on Oct. 16, 2021. The series began on Sept. 20, 2008 when the Chargers fell to Saint Michael's, 3-1, in the inaugural game. When hosting Saint Michael's at Kathy Zolad Stadium, the Chargers hold a 4-3 record.
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS (1-9-4)
The Chargers are now two games removed from their first and lone win of the season when they defeated the Le Moyne Dolphins, 3-2. Since then New Haven has gone on a two-game losing streak, dropping games with the Adelphi Panthers and the Bentley Falcons, in which they have been outscored 4-0 in that span.
In their last outing, New Haven outshot Bentley, 22-8 (10-3 on goal), while taking more corner kicks, 5-1, four of which came in the second half.
Juan Torres (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) and Guillem Barnils (Barcelona, Spain/Escola Pia Nostrasenyora) attempted four shots each while Alexander Gunnarsson (Kopavogur, Iceland/Verzlenarskoli Islands) and Sean Lane-Turnbull (Wellington, New Zealand/Rongotai College) both took two shots. Lucas Kaehr (Armonk, N.Y./Indiana University High School), who was the hero of the team's lone win over Le Moyne, also recorded a shot on target in the first half.
The Chargers tacked on another nine shot attempts in the second half, led by Oskar Kvarnback (Stockholm, Sweden/Bromma Gymnasium), who recorded four total shots. Freshman midfielder Gavin Bravado (Plainville, Conn./Plainville) tied a season-high two shot attempts which he previously set in the draw with the American International Yellow Jackets. Max La Rosa (Rochester, N.Y./Spencerport), Gunnarsson and Kaehr all took a shot while the former of the three registered his first shot as a Charger.
Adam Lindstrom (Orbero, Sweden/Grillska Gymnasiet), who was recently named NE10 Player of the Week after combining for nine points between the two games, was held to zero shots for the second consecutive game after attempting at least one in every contest since their 2-1 loss to Dominican on Sept. 3.
Lindstrom has been a bright spot for the team this season as he leads the offense with five goals and an assist. Lindstrom has recorded two multi-goal games, in consecutive games, while starting all 14 of New Haven's games.
Barnils is the only other Charger with multiple goals scored so far this season. He last scored on Sept. 20 in the draw with Assumption, however, he also recorded his first career assist in the team's lone win over Le Moyne.
Sophomore midfielder Chris Chyzowych (Flemington, N.J./Gill St. Bernard's) has three points on the year, stemming from a career game against the Saint Rose Golden Knights on Sept. 28 when Chyzowych tallied a goal and an assist in the 3-3 draw. In the same game, junior midfielder Devon Polletta (Prospect, Conn./Woodland Regional) netted his first career goal, as well. His twin brother, Dante Polletta (Prospect, Conn./Woodland Regional), recorded an assist on Tyler Pereira's (Fairhaven, Mass./Fairhaven) goal in the team's opening game against the Bridgeport Purple Knights.
Devon also tallied an assist in the team's 5-3 loss to crosstown rival Southern Connecticut, the game in which Lane-Turnbull scored his first career goal. Lindstrom's first two-score game came in the loss but he was monumental in the following game against Le Moyne with another pair of goals. However, it was the freshman, Kaehr, who was the hero of the day as he put New Haven up 3-2 with five seconds left in the game with a goal on his first career shot.
Sophomore goalkeeper Themis Kastoris (Gothenburg, Sweden/Kitas Gymnasiet) started between the post for New Haven, allowing one goal while tallying two saves. His 44 saves on the season are currently ranked ninth among all goalkeepers in the conference while his .710 save percentage also places him in ninth.
Up to now, the Chargers have been outshot by opponents, 172-175, while also trailing in shots on goal, 69-90. Out of all 19 Chargers who have attempted one or more shots, Gunnarsson holds the lead for shots taken with 23 while Lindstrom and Barnils follow behind with 22.
New Haven, who was voted seventh in the 2022 NE10 preseason coaches' poll with 59 points, is currently ranked 12th in the conference standings with a 1-6-3 record in the NE10.
SCOUTING THE PURPLE KNIGHTS (2-8-4)
The Purple Knights entered the season with high hopes after finishing with a 7-9-1 record, their most wins since 2015 when the Purple Knights recorded an 8-9-1 record. The 2015 season was also the last time the Purple Knights qualified for the NE10 playoffs, having finished with no more than three conference wins in a season since.
Much like the Chargers, Saint Michael's saw their first win of the regular season in early October when they defeated the Saint Anselm Hawks, 2-1 on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The Purple Knights were led to their first victory by sophomore midfielder Amos Schramm, who scored their game-winning goal in the 66th minute. The win jump started the campaign for Saint Michael's as they followed it up with a 2-0 shutout win over Le Moyne on Saturday, Oct. 15.
The Purple Knights' offense has combined for a total of 35 points, stemming from 13 goals and nine assists. The team ranks tenth in goals while they are also tied with New Haven for tenth in assists. Their 35 points as a whole places them in sole position of tenth in the conference despite ranking ninth in total shots with 158.
Schramm, the team leader in points, is one of three Purple Knights with a pair of goals during conference play while the sophomore is also tied with Brock Martindale for a team-leading two assists. Sophmore forward Jake Manley and junior midfielder Alessandro Pescina have each tallied two scores this season while the former netted a goal in the team's first win over the Hawks. Pescina scored in the Knights' last outing with a floating shot into the left side of the goal off an assist from Martindale.
Freshmen Jack Andrews and Drew Kull also have two registered goals on the year as Andrews, who's played in every game, scored in consecutive games to kick off September. The forward was named NE10 Rookie of the Week in week three after scoring both of the Purple Knights' goals during an 0-1-1 week. He tallied one in the 70th minute of a 2-1 loss at Saint Anselm before scoring in a 1-1 draw at Assumption during the Purple and Gold's NE10 opener.
Freshman back Joel Marquardt was named NE10 Defensive Player of the Week as well as Rookie of the Week in week eight after scoring the winning goal in the 11th minute of a 2-0 victory against Le Moyne on Saturday while aiding a defense that yielded one goal in a 2-0 week. Marquardt and company allowed just 6.0 shots per game to reach the net while surrendering 5.0 corner kicks per outing.
Senior goalkeeper Liam Barrett has played in eleven games, starting 10 in goal. Barrett, who owns a 2-5-3 record in goal, has allowed 20 goals while making 48 saves. The graduate's 50 saves rank sixth among all NE10 goalkeepers while his .706 save percentage places him tenth. Barrett was named NE10 Goalkeeper of the Week in week 8 after registering a .917 save percentage and a 0.50 GAA during a 2-0 week. In a 2-1 win over Saint Anselm on Tuesday, he made six saves before collecting five more stops in a 2-0 victory against Le Moyne on Saturday.
Saint Michael's boasts a young and diverse roster comprised of 33 players. The roster is broken down into 14 freshman, seven sophomores, seven juniors, and five seniors. The Purple Knights carry four goalkeepers, 11 backs, 11 midfielders and seven forwards on their roster.
Wade Jean is close to completing his 13th season at the helm of the Saint Michael's men's soccer program in 2022, and his 11th since returning to the institution for a second stint after also guiding the team in 2006 and 2007. The 2022 season is Jean's 23rd as a college head coach, having also coached at NCAA Division I Duquesne University for nearly a decade. In fall 2018, Jean began a four-year term on the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Committee as the East Region's representative.
Saint Michael's, who was voted 11th in the 2022 NE10 preseason coaches' poll with 26 points, is currently ranked tenth in the NE10 standings with a conference record of 2-4-3.
