GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: Sept 3, 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 looks to right the ship after a rocky start to the season. Coming off a tough 1-0 loss to the Mercy Mavericks on the road, the Chargers return home to Kathy Zolad Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 3 where they will host the Chargers of Dominican University.
SERIES HISTORY VS DOMINICAN
It's been a while since both Chargers classed with each other, last meeting Nov. 21, 2003. While the game ended in a 5-3 loss for New Haven, the Chargers hold a 3-1 record in the series including a 2-0 record at home.
The New Haven Chargers first played Dominican on Oct. 30, 2000 and it was a victorious 8-0 effort for New Haven. The win was the first of three straight against Dominican as New Haven has outscored the Chargers, 20-9.
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
The men's soccer team dropped their first two games of the season, there home opener against Bridgeport and their first game on the road to Mercy.
Offense has been hard to come by for the Chargers so far this season, only scoring one goal through their first two games. The lone goal is credited to sophomore midfielder Tyler Pereira (Fairhaven, Mass./Fairhaven).
Despite their record, New Haven enters the matchup outshooting opponents, 23-20. The Chargers have also matched opponents in shots on goal with 13, eight of which came in the first game.
One bright spot in the new campaign has been sophomore goalkeeper Themis Kastoris (Gothenburg, Sweden/Kitas Gymnasiet), who has racked up ten saves and a .769 save percentage to start the year, second and fifth in the NE10, respectively. Kastoris is coming off a successful rookie season which saw him total a conference fourth best 64 saves.
Newcomers Guillem Barnils (Barcelona, Spain/Escola Pia Nostrasenyora) and Dante Polletta (Prospect, Conn./Woodland Regional) have led the team in shots taken with four a piece, the later also recording an assist on the season.
SCOUTING THE OTHER CHARGERS
Dominican is also in search of their first win of the season as they enter the contest with a 0-1-1 record. Coming off the heels of a 12-6-2 record during the 2021 season, the Dominican Chargers enter the matchup off to a slow start. However, this is familiar ground for the Chargers as they started last season off 0-2 before making a run to the CACC Men's Soccer Championship Final, although the Post Eagles would eliminate them in overtime, 3-2.
Fast forward to 2022 and the Chargers have suffered a 2-0 loss to the Southern Connecticut Owls at home and battled out a 2-2 draw against the Molloy Lions on the road.
Graduate Ewan Gray is one of two Chargers with a goal so far on the season, the other coming from redshirt sophomore Armando Morales, both of which were scored in the draw against Molloy. Gray led the team in goals scored in the prior season with six while also tacking on an assist. Lucas Rego Santos has recorded the lone assist so far this season on the Morales goal, off the right foot on a cross from the left side into the box.
Senior goalkeeper Lucas Silva Pereria started both games in the net for the Chargers, where he allowed three goals while racking up six saves. The freshman David Arteaga started the second half of Wednesday's game, allowing one goal and registering two saves to secure the tie.
The Dominican offense was formidable a season ago, totaling 110 points stemming from 39 goals and 32 assists. The Chargers had the fourth highest goals for on average with 1.95 and the second lowest goals against on average with 1.31.
The Chargers are currently eighth in the conference standings with a 1 point.
UP NEXT
New Haven will stay at home to host the Nyack Warriors in a non-conference match. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, Sept. 6 at Kathy Zolad Stadium with all of the action available live on the Chargers Sports Network on NE10 Now. Live Stats will also be available via NewHavenChargers.com.
