GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: August 25, 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 debut its 60th season in program history on Thursday night when they host in-state rival Bridgeport for the battle of Interstate-95. Kickoff for the season opener from Kathy Zolad Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. When the Chargers return to the pitch to kickoff 2022, the will end a 292 day hiatus, having not played since November 6, 20121, a 2-3 loss against American International in the NE10 Quarterfinals.
SERIES HISTORY VS BRIDGEPORT
New Haven and Bridgeport meet for the 32nd time in the history of the two programs, with the series dating back to the 1972 campaign. The Purple Knights hold a slight edge in the series as New Haven trails 14-17 including an 8-10 record at home. The Knights opened up the all-time series with back-to-back wins before New Haven rattled off four straight wins, outscoring Bridgeport 10-2 in that stretch. Since renewing the series in 2017, the two have split in four games with New Haven taking the 4-3 victory the last time they met in the season opener of 2021.
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
The men's soccer team will have a new look for the upcoming season and not just in terms of uniforms. Plenty of new faces will take the field for New Haven, as well as a few familiar ones, as only ten players are returning from last season's roster. The biggest void the team will look to fill is that left by Pau Santanach (Barcelona, Spain/Collegi CreaNova), who was the top goal scorer in all of the NE10. Another offensive threat in Tano Dessano, led New Haven with seven assists last season, will also be absent from the 2022 roster. Themis Kastoris (Gothenburg, Sweden/Kitas Gymnasiet) will return between the posts after tallying 64 saves last year, fourth in the conference.
On their way to a playoff appearance, the Chargers offense was dominant. They scored 38 goals with a ,169 shot percentage, ranking third and second respectively. The team also tallied 31 total assists which tied with So. New Hampshire for third most in the NE10. Off the heels of an 8-6-2 record, the Chargers will look to capitalize on last season's run.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
Bridgeport will look to rebound from a 5-7-5 season a year prior after their final game resulted in a 0-1 loss to Saint Thomas Aquinas in the ECC Semifinals on Nov. 10. Now in the CACC after a unanimous acceptance, the Knights were ranked eighth in the preseason poll with 79 points. Bridgeport racked up 23 goals and 14 assists in the ECC last season, which rank 7th and 8th respectively. The Purple Knights also held a shot percentage of .112 which also ranked seventh in the conference.
THE 2022 SCHEDULE
The men's soccer team will play a 15-game slate in 2022, with nine of those matches scheduled to come at the friendly confines of Kathy Zolad Stadium. When the Chargers return to the field to kickoff 2022, the will end a 292 day hiatus, having not played since November 6, 20121, a 2-3 loss against American International in the NE10 Quarterfinals. The Chargers will open the 2022 season with four-straight non-conference games, one on the road at Mercy and a three home contests against Bridgeport, Dominican and Nyack. Following the final non-conference test against Nyack, the Chargers will embark on a 11 game NE10 schedule after which the top eight teams following the regular season advancing to the NE10 Championships which kicks off on November 6.
CHARGERS SEVENTH IN PRESEASON POLL
Entering their third season under head coach Brian Quinn, the New Haven men's soccer team has been slotted seventh in a poll of the league's 13 head coaches. Having received 59 points the Chargers improve on last season's rankings which listed them at tenth with 43 points, with Franklin Pierce, once again, holding the top position. The Ravens will open up the season as the league's favorite to win the Northeast-10 Championship earning 121 points and 11 first place votes. Adelphi followed just behind with 102 points and the remaining first place tally.
UP NEXT
New Haven will kick off its road schedule the next time they take the field as they travel to Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. to take on the Mercy Mavericks. Kickoff at Mercy Field is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. with all of the action available live on the Chargers Sports Network on NE10 Now. Live Stats will also be available via NewHavenChargers.com.
