GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: Oct. 8, 2022
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LOCATION: Ted Grant Field,
Syracuse, N.Y. |
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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 hit the road for the first time since Sept. 24 as the Chargers take on the Le Moyne Dolphins. The team is coming off their high scoring game of the season, a 5-3 loss to their crosstown rival Southern Connecticut on Wednesday. The Blue & Gold look to pick up their first win at noon on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Ted Grant Field in Syracuse.
SERIES HISTORY VS LE MOYNE
This will only be the 19th meeting between the two NE10 foes. The Chargers trail in the all-time series, 3-15, after picking up a 3-2 win over the Dolphins on last season's senior night. The victory was New Haven's first in the series since Oct. 30, 1993 when the team shutout Le Moyne, 3-0, putting an end to Le Moyne's streak of 14 straight wins. The series dates back to Nov. 15, 1975 when New Haven fell to the Dolphins 3-0 in the inaugural game. The Blue & Gold will look to defeat Le Moyne on their own turf for the second time in team history as they hold a 1-7 record when hosted by the Dolphins.
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS (0-7-4)
After falling to the Penmen of Southern New Hampshire in a 3-0 loss on Saturday, the University of New Haven's men's soccer team came up short against Southern Connecticut in the Elm City rivalry. The 5-3 loss, which knocks the Chargers down to 0-7-4 on the year, was the highest scoring game of the Charger's season.
Despite the rain, the game played on as the Chargers fell behind early after a pair of first half goals by Southern's Yannick Hilpert.
Although the team was held to just two total shots in the opening half, Adam Lindstrom (Orbero, Sweden/Grillska Gymnasiet) split the deficit with a goal in the 53rd minute, assisted by Alexander Gunnarsson (Kopavogur, Iceland/Verzlenarskoli Islands).
Hilpert's unassisted third goal of the game in the 59th minute gave the Owls a two goal advantage but Lindstrom answered with a goal, six minutes later off an assist from Gunnarsson. The goal was Lindstrom's second goal of the game and third of the year. Gunnarsson now leads the Chargers in assists after tallying two in the loss.
After 74 minutes of play, a scramble in the box resulted in a own goal when a Southern Connecticut shot ricocheted off a Chargers player. Less than a minute later, however, junior defender Sean Lane-Turnbull (Wellington, New Zealand/Rongotai College) scored his first career goal, assisted by Devon Polletta (Prospect, Conn./Woodland Regional), to cut the deficit to one.
Although New Haven kept the game close at multiple times, the Owls ultimately pulled ahead after a late goal.
The Owls outshot the Chargers, 17-6 (12-4 on goal), while also attempting more corner kicks, 10-0. Lindstrom and Lane-Turnbull led the team with a pair of shots, in addition to a second half shot by Dante Polletta (Prospect, Conn./Woodland Regional)
Freshman goalkeeper Ryan Lunn (Southington, Conn./Southington) made his second career start between the post as a Charger. Lunn, who was faced with 17 shots on goal, allowed five goals while tallying eight saves. Lunn made four saves in each half as he has now recorded 18 saves in his first three appearances.
While Lindstrom now leads the team in goals, Guillem Barnils (Barcelona, Spain/Escola Pia Nostrasenyora) has scored twice on the season and four other Chargers have recorded a solo goal. Tyler Pereira (Fairhaven, Mass./Fairhaven) netted one in the team's season opener against Bridgeport while Polletta and Chris Chyzowych (Flemington, N.J./Gill St. Bernard's) all scored in the team's 3-3 draw, last week against Saint Rose. Lane-Turnbull netted his first goal as a Charger, late in the second half of Wednesday's loss.
Up to now, the Chargers have been outshot by opponents, 129-137, while also trailing in shots on goal, 48-74. Out of all 18 Chargers who have attempted one or more shots, Gunnarsson holds the lead for shots taken with 18 while Lindstrom and Barnils follow behind with 17 & 15 shots, respectively.
Themis Kastoris (Gothenburg, Sweden/Kitas Gymnasiet) has started nine games on the season. The sophomore goalkeeper has allowed 12 goals while tallying 34 saves, tied for fifth in the conference.
New Haven, who was voted seventh in the 2022 NE10 preseason coaches' poll with 59 points, is currently ranked 11th in the conference standings.
SCOUTING THE DOLPHINS (3-2-5)
The Dolphins entered the season looking to build upon a 10-7 record from the 2021 season, however after winning their first two games of the new campaign, Le Moyne sits at a 3-2-5 record ahead of their matchup with the Chargers. Le Moyne is currently on a streak of two straight draws, a 1-1 tie with American International on Wednesday and a 2-2 tie against Southern Connecticut on Saturday.
The Dolphins' offense has combined for a total of 26 points, stemming from 10 goals and six assists. All three categories rank ninth in the conference while their 122 total shots attempted places eighth.
Freshman midfielder Cameron Stuart and graduate forward Max Buesch have been the main goal scorers for the Dolphins so far this season with three goals each. The latter netted a pair of goals in the team's 2-2 draw against the Owls while Stuart recorded an assist on the second shot, his second assist of the year.
Four other Dolphins have scored a single goal in 2022 including graduate students Terence Crysler-Howard, Alessandro Otte, and Max Van Duin. Graduate back Benedict Klimmek also recorded a goal in the team's second game of the season, a 1-0 win over Jefferson, and was subsequently awarded NE10 Defensive Player of the Week. In addition to scoring, he helped anchored a defense which posted two shutouts in Le Moyne's 2-0 week, while the Dolphins allowed just 11 shots in that period with only three shots on target.
Despite their record, Le Moyne's defense has been prominent, allowing the third least amount of goals in the NE10 (9), while holding opponents to 95 shots.
Graduate goalkeeper Josh Mahr has started all ten games in goal, allowing nine goals while making 23 saves. Mahr's 23 saves rank ninth among all NE10 goalkeepers while his .719 save percentage places him 12th. Mahr was named NE10 Goalkeeper of the Week in week five after he registered a 0.50 goals against average and five saves, along with an assist, in Le Moyne's 1-0-1 week. He turned away five shots in a 0-0 draw with No. 2 Franklin Pierce on Tuesday before earning the assist on Le Moyne's third goal in a 3-1 win over Bentley on Saturday.
Le Moyne boasts an experienced roster, comprised of 24 players. The roster is broken down into five freshman, 4 sophomores, one junior, three seniors, and 11 graduate students. The Dolphins carry three goalkeepers, six backs, nine midfielders and six forwards on their roster.
Tom Bonus has guided the Le Moyne men's soccer program to unseen success since taking over the program before the 2000 season. In 21 seasons in charge of the Dolphins, Bonus has compiled a record of 242-130-31. Bonus, the 2004 and 2018 Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year, has posted 10 or more victories in 17 of his 21 seasons, including eight seasons in a row. A 24-year head coach, Bonus enters the 2022 season with an overall record of 268-154-34 at two institutions.
Le Moyne, who was voted fifth in the 2022 NE10 preseason coaches' poll with 81 points, is currently ranked 8th in the NE10 standings with a conference record of 1-1-4.
UP NEXT
New Haven will stay on the road as they head to Garden City, N.Y. to face off with the Adelphi Panthers. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. at Motamed Field on Tuesday, Oct. 11.
