GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: August 28, 2022
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LOCATION: Mercy Field,
Dobbs Ferry, 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 debuted its 60th season in program history on Thursday night when they hosted in-state rival Bridgeport. The season opener resulted in a Bridgeport victory, however, as the Chargers fell to the Purple Knights, 2-1. New Haven now travels to Dobbs Ferry where they'll play their first road game of the season against the Mercy Mavericks. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. on Saturday, Sept. 3 at Mercy Field.
SERIES HISTORY VS MERCY
New Haven and Mercy will meet for the 21st time in the history of the two programs, with the series dating back to the 1981Â campaign. The Mavericks hold a slight edge in the series as New Haven trails 6-10-4Â including a 3-5-2 record on the road. This game will be the first between the two since Sept. 26, 2007 when the Mavericks defeated the Chargers, 2-1.
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
The men's soccer team dropped their first game of the season as the Bridgeport Purple Knights stumped the Chargers on opening night, 2-1.
Although New Haven would end up outshooting the visiting Purple Knights, 13-7, Bridgeport opened up the scoring first with a goal on the rebound after a diving save by sophomore goalkeeper Themis Kastoris (Gothenburg, Sweden/Kitas Gymnasiet)Â at the 3:05 minute mark.
The Chargers wouldn't stay quiet for long, however, as New Haven scored their first goal of the new campaign a little over 15 minutes into the second half on a goal from sophomore midfielder Tyler Pereira (Fairhaven, Mass./Fairhaven)Â off an assist from Dante Polletta (Prospect, Conn./Woodland Regional).
After a tightly contested and grueling battle, the Bridgeport Purple Knights came out victorious as a late goal at the 69:56 mark from the far right snuck past the outstretched diving hands of Kastoris, giving the Purple Knights a 2-1 lead.Â
Four Chargers tallied two shots in the loss, including newcomers Jonas Schmelcher (Berlin, Germany/SL2B Berlin) and Guillem Barnils (Barcelona, Spain/Escola Pia Nostrasenyora), as well as returning players Alexander Gunnarsson (Kopavogur, Iceland/Verzlenarskoli Islands) and Adam Lindstrom (Orbero, Sweden/Grillska Gymnasiet), the latter two recording a combined four shots on goal.Â
Despite the loss, New Haven outshot the Purple Knights, 13-7 and 8-6 on goal while drawing more corner kicks, 7-2.
Kastoris, who totaled a conference fourth-most 64 saves last season, was credited with four in tonight's contest, three of which came in the first half of play.
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SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
Coming off the heels of a 9-5-2 record during the 2021 season, the Mercy Mavericks enter the matchup on a good note. The Mavs picked up a win on the road to start the new campaign, defeating the Saint Rose Golden Knights, 2-1.
After heading into the half tied at one, the Mavericks put the nail in the coffin when they scored the game-winning goal at the 87:06 mark. The goal was scored by Benjamin Van Buren off an assist by Daniel Rodriguez, who also scored a goal in the contest.
Eirik Elvestad started in between the posts for the Mavs, where he allowed one goal on a redirected keeper save and recorded one save. Elvestad was an efficient goalkeeper in the East Coast Conference last season, finishing with the best .833 save percentage while tallying 15 saves.
The Mercy offense was dominant a season ago, racking up 103 points off of 38 goals and 27 assists. The Mavs had the highest goals for percentage average with 2.38 and the lowest goals against average with 0.96.
The Mavericks are currently third in the conference standings with a 1-0 record and two goals for.
UP NEXT
New Haven will return home to Kathy Zolad Stadium on Sunday where they will take on the Dominican (N.Y.) Chargers in a non-conference match. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 3Â at 7:00 PMÂ with all of the action available live on the Chargers Sports Network on NE10 Now. Live Stats will also be available via NewHavenChargers.com.
