PREVIEW: Men's soccer to play Saint Rose, Assumption

9/20/2022 10:48:00 AM

MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College men's soccer team hosts its next two games, facing off against Saint Rose on Tuesday, Sept. 20 and Assumption on Saturday, Sept. 24.

Saint Anselm owns a 5-1 record and is off to its best start in over 20 years, recently defeating Southern New Hampshire last Tuesday by a 1-0 margin. The Hawks also performed admirably last time out against No. 15 Southern Connecticut State, falling by a 1-0 score on the road.

Saint Rose owns a 4-2-1 overall record so far this season but is coming off a 2-1 loss at No. 3 Franklin Pierce last time out. Prior to that, the Golden Knights were unbeaten in their last five games. The team opened its season with a narrow 2-1 defeat against Mercy (N.Y.).

Assumption has compiled a 3-1-1 record, losing only to Felician on Friday, Sept. 2 and drawing Saint Michael's on Saturday, Sept. 10. Last time out, the Greyhounds racked up four of the game's six goals in a win at American International.

SCOUTING SAINT ANSELM

For the second consecutive week, senior Kyle White (Danvers, Mass.) was named the league's Defensive Player of the Week while classmate Brian Underhill (Westford, Mass.) earned the conference's Player of the Week accolade on Monday. The duo helped the Hawks to a 1-1 record against the region's top men's soccer teams.
Saint Anselm came away with a 1-0 victory over its cross-town rival Southern New Hampshire University on Tuesday, the first win by the Hawks against the Penmen since the 2009 NE10 postseason. On Saturday, the Hawks battled the No. 15-ranked team in NCAA Division II, Southern Connecticut State University, and fell by a narrow 1-0 margin.
Playing 90 minutes in each game, White helped a strong Hawks defense concede just one goal on the week. In his team's road win at Penmen Stadium, White and the Hawks backfield pitched a shutout while also keeping all but five shots away from the Hawks keeper. Against No. 15-ranked SCSU on Saturday, Saint Anselm only allowed one goal.
In net for the Hawks, Underhill conceded just one goal while making 13 saves across the two games. He made five saves in the SNHU shutout and then produced eight saves on nine shots in the one-goal loss at Southern Connecticut State. He leads the NE10 in save percentage (.925) and has 37 saves to his credit.
Saint Anselm is tied for second in the NE10 with a team 0.50 goals-against average.

SCOUTING SAINT ROSE

The Golden Knights were ranked seventh in the last United Soccer Coaches East Region rankings released on Sept. 13 – they began the season ranked seventh in the region as well.
Junior Hilmar Halldorsson is sixth in the NE10 with nine points (4-1=9) and has two game-winning goals, tying for the league lead in that metric.
Nick Koenig has one goal and two assists for four points (1-2=4), ranking second on the team – his one goal was a game-winning marker.
Saint Rose has been carded 14 times, the second-most infractions whistled among NE10 opponents.

SCOUTING ASSUMPTION

The Greyhounds logged a 3-8-1 record in NE10 play in 2021 – Assumption won the NE10 postseason championship in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team picked up a 2-1 double overtime win in the opening round of the NE10 postseason before falling 5-0 to Gannon.
This season, the Hounds are 1-0-1 in NE10 play with a draw against Saint Michael's on Saturday, Sept. 10 before a 4-2 win over American International on Wednesday. The team will have a six-game layoff before playing New Haven on Tuesday, Sept. 20.
Assumption has two of the top five league leaders in assists in Ruben Faria and Gustaf Vilgot Albert. The latter student-athlete has three goals alongside his pair of assists, giving him eight points to rank eighth in the league.

ALL-TIME vs. SAINT ROSE, ASSUMPTION

Saint Anselm holds a 16-7 lead in the all-time series over Saint Rose. The Hawks, however, are winless in each of their last four games against the Golden Knights after losing in overtime twice.
The last win for Saint Anselm over Saint Rose came on Sept. 24, 2016 on the road. The most recent home victory for Saint Anselm over the Golden Knights came on Sept. 24, 2011.
Saint Anselm leads Assumption by a 37-17-4 margin since the first meeting on Nov. 4, 1967, a 10-0 win for the Hounds.
Assumption and Saint Anselm played to a tie to conclude the 2021 season – each team needed a victory to earn a spot in the NE10 postseason.

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