CALDWELL, N.J. – The Saint Anselm College men's soccer team posted a 2-1 season-opening win over Caldwell on Saturday.

The Hawks (1-0-0) will be next in action on Monday, Sept. 5 when they welcome Saint Michael's College to the Hilltop for a 3 p.m. non-conference match from Melucci Field. The Cougars drop to 0-4-0 on the season with the loss.

Saint Anselm has now won its season-opener in each of the last three full seasons of competition.

The Hawks pressured the Cougars early in the match as sophomore Andrew Kubinski (Norton, Mass.) tested the Caldwell goalkeeper with a shot on goal just 19 seconds into play.

In the 27th minute, senior Jackson Bukunt (Upton, Mass.) headed a cross from classmate Jonathan Alves (Peabody, Mass.) but the header attempt went just wide on the right side of the goal frame.

Senior Taylor Silverstein (Concord, N.H.) got the first Hawks goal of the 2022 season as he converted on a penalty kick in the 44th minute. Silverstein has now netted the season opening goal for the Hawks in back-to-back seasons. Sophomore Jonas Walter (Marburg, Germany) drew the infraction in the box which allowed Silverstein to bury the penalty kick chance in the bottom left corner of the net.

In the 65th minute, the Hawks added to their lead after sophomore Aiden Lehane (Assonet, Mass.) forced a turnover in the midfield. He sent a long ball forward for Bukunt who fired a right-footed shot from just outside the 18-yard box and into the upper right corner of the goal. The assist for Lehane marks the first point of his collegiate career.

The Cougars cracked the scoreboard in the 86th minute as Andre Vieira cashed in on a cross from Alex Spencer, cutting the Saint Anselm lead to one at 2-1.

Caldwell upped the pressure in search of the equalizer and got a shot from Nickolas Fiallos off a corner kick play in the 89th minute but Underhill made the save, aiding the Hawks to a 2-1 season-opening win.

Senior goalkeeper Brian Underhill (Westford, Mass.) made six saves in the win for the Hawks while Dylan Valencia made five stops in the losing effort for the Cougars.

Freshman Caua Soares De Freitas (São Paulo, Brazil) made his collegiate debut in the match.