MANCHESTER, N.H. – Junior midfielder Colin Mahoney's (Peabody, Mass.) first collegiate career goal couldn't have come at a better time as the Saint Anselm men's soccer team defeated Saint Michael's College, 1-0, Tuesday afternoon at Melucci Field.

Saint Anselm (2-5, 1-4 Northeast-10) appeared a bit erratic in the first half, as Saint Michael's (5-4, 1-4) controlled the ball throughout the opening minutes.

The host Hawks settled in and finally grabbed the lead as sophomore Zachary Heckt (South Windsor, Conn.) handled the ball up the right wing, finding Mahoney in space near the top of the 18. Mahoney took one touch and sent it upper right corner to score the would-be game-winner early in the second half.

The Purple Knights had a few opportunities in the first half and actually outshot the Hawks 14-7 in the second stanza—including a late flurry of shots-on-goal.

But the defense, led by sophomore goalkeeper Stephen McLeod's (Chelmsford, Mass.) three saves—including a huge defensive save by Hawks back Ben Mack (Melrose, Mass.)—held strong and recorded its second shutout of the year.

The victory—the first NE-10 Conference victory of head coach Christian Gagnon's career—was especially sweet, avenging the Hawks' 3-0 loss to the Purple Knights earlier in the season in the opening round of the Catholic Cup.

Saint Anselm returns to the road Saturday for a 3 p.m. NE-10 matchup at Adelphi.

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