GAME DAY INFORMATION DATE: Sept 10, 2022 LOCATION: Melucci Field, Manchester, N.H. GAME DAY LINKS LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

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THE LEAD
The New Haven men's soccer team will enter NE10 conference play for the first time this season after battling through the first four non-conference games. Entering the matchup with a 0-3-1 record, the Chargers look to turn their luck around and pick up a huge road win against the Saint Anselm Hawks at 12:00 P.M. on Saturday, Sept. 10 at Melucci Field.

SERIES HISTORY VS SAINT ANSELM 
This will be the 19th time these two programs face each other as New Haven trails slightly in the series with a 7-8-3 all-time record against the Hawks. The two last met on Sept. 25, 2021 in a victorious 2-0 effort for the Chargers. The series dates back to 1-0 overtime inaugural win by Saint Anselm on Sept. 24, 1997. When hosted by the Hawks, New Haven holds a 3-6-1 record.

SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
In their last contest, the Chargers played through the rain, still seeking their first win, as they hosted Alliance University for the final non-conference match. While they fell short of the ultimate goal, the Chargers didn't suffer a loss either as they settled for a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes.

Scoring has been hard to come by, to this point, for the Chargers as the squad had scored two goals in four games. Fortunately, the defense has kept every game within one goal, allowing only five goals in that span.

The two goals on the season have been scored by Tyler Pereira (Fairhaven, Mass./Fairhaven), in the home opener against Bridgeport, and Guillem Barnils (Barcelona, Spain/Escola Pia Nostrasenyora), in the loss to Dominican. Only one assist has been registered on the year, credited to Dante Polletta (Prospect, Conn./Woodland Regional) on Pereira's goal.

So far on the season, the Chargers have outshot opponents, 45-40. However, they trail in shots on goal, 18-23, while achieving more corner kicks, 23-19.

Sophomore goalkeeper Themis Kastoris (Gothenburg, Sweden/Kitas Gymnasiet) has racked up 17 saves and a .773 save percentage to start the year, second and eighth in the NE10, respectively. 

Out of all 15 Chargers who have attempted one or more shots, Barnils holds the lead for shots taken with seven while Polletta trails with six.

SCOUTING THE HAWKS
Off the heels of a 6-9-1 season, the Saint Anselm Hawks are off to a hot start. The Hawks are off to a 3-0 start to the season, following their 2-0 win over Roberts Wesleyan on Wednesday. The Hawks scored two goals in the opening 30 minutes of play before the defense blanked the Redhawks.

Leading an offense that averages two goals a game is senior forward Jackson Bukunt, who has scored two goals on 13 shots. Graduate Kyle White and senior Zach Elliott each recorded a goal in the team's win on Wednesday while the former's came by way of a penalty kick.

Rounding out the Saint Anselm scorers are junior forward Josue Assantha and senior midfielder Taylor Silverstein, who have each recorded a goal and seven shots through the first three games. Silverstein's penalty kick goal against Caldwell was the Hawk's first goal of the season. Michael Fortin, Caden Leader and Aiden Lehane have all tallied an assist, as well.

Senior goalkeeper Brian Underhill has started all three games between the posts for the Hawks, where he has allowed only two goals while racking up 18 saves. Underhill's 18 saves currently rank the most in the NE10 among all goalkeepers. His .900 save percentage also ranks within the top five in the conference.

The Saint Anselm offense was quite stagnant last year, totaling 48 points stemming from 17 goals and 14 assists. The Hawks ranked 12th in goals for on average with 1.06 and sixth in goals against on average with 1.35.

The Hawks, who were ranked ninth in the 2022 NE10 preseason coaches' poll, are currently second in the conference standings.

UP NEXT
New Haven will return home for a brief stint as they host the American International Yellow Jackets for the second conference match of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. on Saturday Sept. 17 at Kathy Zolad Stadium. Live Stats will also be available via NewHavenChargers.com.