MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College men's soccer team suffered a 4-0 defeat to Stonehill in its season opener in the Catholic Cup on Friday afternoon at Melucci Field.

Box Score

Stonehill (1-0-0) struck three times in the span of less than six minutes late in the first half to grab a three-goal lead over Saint Anselm (0-1-0) and added a fourth midway through the second half. The Skyhawks will take on Saint Michael's, which edged Assumption 4-3 in the second game of the day, in Saturday's championship match at 3 p.m.

The Hawks and Purple Knights will meet in in the cup's consolation match at noon on Saturday.

Saint Anselm controlled possession for much of the first 30 minutes of play but fell victim to three goals in quick succession. Adam Branco notched his first of two goals on the day in the 32nd minute by putting home a rebound to open the scoring.

Less than three minutes later, the Skyhawks benefitted from an own goal as the Hawks tried to clear a cross from the left wing but the ball snuck over the line. Stonehill's Patrick Keogh made it 3-0 in the 38th minute by converting on a loose ball in front of the net.

The Hawks started the second half on the front foot and outshot the Skyhawks 12-6 after the interval. However, Branco bagged his second of the game by nodding in Matthew Gallo's cross from the right to close the scoring.

Saint Anselm held a 16-14 edge in shots in the game but Stonehill held an 11-2 advantage in shots on goal. Zach Heckt registered a game-high eight shots for the Hawks.

Conor McDonough earned the win by making two saves, while Stephen McLeod stopped seven shots in the loss.