HENNIKER, N.H. - The New England College men's soccer team battled Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponent Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Wednesday evening, falling to the Monks 3-0.
The teams battled in the midfield early, with both sides looking to break through and open the scoring. The Monks struck first in the 26th minute to take a 1-0 lead. SJC continued to apply offensive pressure late in the opening frame, but senior goalkeeper Matt Guzman (San Bernardino, Calif.) came up with several key saves to keep the Monks from doubling their lead as the Pilgrims headed into the half, trailing 1-0.
The 'Grims continued to battle in the second half, with freshman Ethan Zuniga (Wallingford, Conn.) firing an early shot that was stopped by Monks' goalkeeper Alex Bachmann. SJC doubled its advantage in the 63rd minute before continuing to pressure the NEC defense with a series of shots, several of which sailed just wide of the net. Nick Marion extended the Monks' lead with a third goal, while Guzman continued to make saves for the Pilgrims. NEC looked to get on the scoreboard late, as senior Jackson Souther (Weare, N.H.) fired a shot just wide of the net before graduate Anthony Aguiar (Gilford, N.H.) put a shot on goal that was turned away by Bachmann. The Monks continued to looked for another goal in the closing minutes, but Guzman and the NEC defense held firm as several SJC attempts sailed just high, but the visitors ultimately secured the 3-0 victory,
Guzman finished the evening with eight saves in net for NEC, while Bachmann recorded four saves for the Monks.
The Pilgrims hit the road for the first of three consecutive road contests, traveling to Chicopee, Mass., on Saturday to face Elms College at 1:00 PM.
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