WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – University of Saint Joseph (2-2-0, 1-0-0 GNAC) scored twice in the opening 16 minutes and went on to defeat Saint Joseph's College (1-3-0, 1-1-0 GNAC), 4-2, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's soccer contest at the USJ Soccer Field on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Blue Jays struck early, taking a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute when junior Nate Gabriel (Naugatuck, Conn.) tapped home a rebound following a shot from classmate Nico Hamzavi (West Hartford, Conn.). USJ doubled its advantage 10 minutes later as sophomore Mario Milardo (Middletown, Conn.) netted his second goal of the year on another rebound.

SJC trimmed the deficit to 2-1 just before halftime when sophomore Nick Marion (Windham, Maine) scored in the 45th minute.

The hosts answered quickly after intermission. Senior Emmanuel Ofori (East Hartford, Conn.) made it 3-1 in the 53rd minute and Milardo added his second just three minutes later off an Ofori feed. Marion tallied again in the 67th minute, but the Monks could get no closer as the USJ defense held firm.

TEAM STATS:

USJ held a 20-16 advantage in shots and a 9-4 edge in shots on goal while SJC posted a 7-2 lead in corner kicks.

THE KEEPERS:

SJC freshman Ziggy Babbott (Hinesburg, Vt.) made five saves in the loss and USJ sophomore Will Slayton (Manchester, Conn.) stopped a pair of shots.

NEXT:

Saint Joseph's hosts Colby College on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.


THANKS IN PART TO USJ SPORTS INFORMATION