MANCHESTER, N.H. - Junior transfer
Lucas Bravo Ollé (Sitges, Barcelona, Spain) scored his first goal as a Hawk off a feed from senior
Zach Verow (Bedford, N.H.) as the Saint Anselm College men's soccer team earned a hard-fought draw against Saint Thomas Aquinas College from Melucci Field on Sunday afternoon.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm is back in action on Wednesday, September 6th, playing host to Bentley University in non-conference play from Melucci Field at 3:30 p.m.
- The Hawks continue non-conference action when they hit the road to face Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, N.Y. on Saturday, September 9th, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Score: Saint Anselm 1, Saint Thomas Aquinas 1
Records: Saint Anselm (0-1-1); Saint Thomas Aquinas (0-0-2)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Melucci Field)
Date: Sunday, September 3, 2023
Attendance: 97
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Saint Anselm's Lucas Bravo Olle scored his first goal of the season in the 60th minute after a ball was served in from the right wing by Zach Verow. Bravo Olle was unmarked on the back post and one-timed his shot into the back of the net. The tally was the first of the season for the Hawks.
- Earlier in the match, Saint Anselm was tested on the back line. Just over five minutes in, sophomore goalkeeper David Hood (Manchester, N.H.) sprinted off his line to corral a loose ball at the top of his box with a Saint Thomas Aquinas attacker closely pursuing. Ten minutes later, Kevon Evans got on the end of a through ball at the top of the box. The Spartan forward took a touch around Hood and fired a shot at the vacant Hawks' net, but Saint Anselm sophomore Hunter Holland (Hampton, N.H.) made an incredible hustle play, sliding to clear the ball off the goal-line, which kept the game scoreless. Hood was forced to make three more saves in the first half, including one he deflected over the cross-bar on a shot from Saint Thomas Aquinas' Yahir Hernandez.
- Not long after, the Hawks got their first two scoring opportunities, first when junior Andrew Kubinski (Norton, Mass.) blew past a defender and fired a shot from the top of the box, which was saved by Spartans goalkeeper Calle Olle Petter Gunnarsson. The second chance, and perhaps the best look of the half for the Hawks, came when junior Aiden Lehane (Assonet, Mass.) made a slide tackle to win possession in the far right offensive corner. Lehane quickly bounced up off the ground and made his way into the box, finding a wide open Verow who laced a shot just over the frame.
- Bravo Olle was close to his second goal of the match late in the second half. With 16 minutes remaining, freshman Connor Lovely (Weymouth, Mass.) stole the ball from a Spartans defender on the right wing. He served in the ball with his left foot, which found Bravo Olle alone at the back post. Bravo Olle attempted to fake out the Spartans goalkeeper, but Gunnarsson successfully closed the shooting angle and shut down the opportunity.
- The Spartans tied the game at one goal apiece when Evans picked up a loose ball in the box after a failed clearance from the Hawks defense. The Spartan attacker took a touch with his right foot and fired a shot into the top right corner of the net with just over 10 minutes to play.
- Both sides had very good looks in the closing minutes. In the final minute, Spartans substitute Chad Johnston received a looping cross at the top of the six-yard box. Johnston powered a header to the bottom right corner, but Hood made a clutch save to keep the game knotted up at 1-1.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Saint Anselm outshot Saint Thomas Aquinas 17-12. The Hawks fired four of those shots on goal, while the Spartans had eight on frame.
- The Hawks attempted four corner kicks while the Spartans had three.
- Kubinski recorded a team-high three shots for Saint Anselm, with one being on target. Estevão Gouveia (Nashua, NH.) and Lovely recorded one shot on goal apiece for the Hawks. Alejandro Zuniga and Evans each recorded two shots on goal for Saint Thomas Aquinas.
- Hood stood out in net for the Hawks with seven saves, while Gunnarsson recorded three saves for the Spartans.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Junior James Poschmann (Bedford, N.H.) earned his first collegiate start and made a tackle that started the counter attack leading to the Hawks' goal.
- Freshmen Jackson Dresens (Wayland, Mass.), Jake McCabe (Canton, Mass.), and Tyler Telge (Manchester, N.H.) all made their first collegiate appearances, coming in for Saint Anselm as substitutes.
- Saint Anselm moves to 2-6-2 all-time against Saint Thomas Aquinas, with their last win against the Spartans coming on the road in the 2021 season.
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