Manchester, N.H. – The Saint Anselm men's soccer team played in their home opener this afternoon in a Northeast-10 Conference matchup against Southern Connecticut State University. The game resulted in a 1-0 defeat for the Hawks, who fall to 0-2 overall (0-2, NE-10), while Southern Connecticut improves to 3-0 (1-0, NE-10).

Southern Connecticut kept possession for much of the first half, forcing Eric Moriarty (Center Harbor, N.H.) to make three saves, including a shot in the 38th minute that touched his fingertips and glanced off the crossbar. The Hawks managed two shots on goal in the half, with both being turned aside by the Owl keeper.

The second half remained scoreless until Southern Connecticut's Harry Appiah (Pawtucket, R.I.) received the ball on the left side of the 18-yard box and passed the ball through the air to Ross McGibney (Westport, Conn.) who made a diagonal run through the box. McGibney flicked the ball with his head and scored the only goal of the game.

The Hawks were outshot 20-8 by the Owls, who put six of their shots on target. Moriarty made five saves in the contest for the Hawks, while Southern Connecticut's Chris Rybacki (Putnam, Conn.) made two stops for the Owls.

The Hawks return to action on Saturday against Bloomfield College at Saint Michael's College at 2:00 pm in the Double Tree Kick Off Classic. They then play on Sunday against St. Thomas Aquinas at 10:00 at Saint Michael's.