WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven men’s soccer team fell 2-0 Sunday afternoon to nationally ranked No. 14 Southern New Hampshire University. New Haven dropped to 4-8-3 overall and 3-7-1 in Northeast-10 Conference play, while the Penmen improved to 13-2 overall and 10-2 in the NE-10.
The Chargers played even with the Penmen for a majority of Sunday’s Senior Day game. UNH came out early and two shots, from Clancy Purcell (Shelton, Conn./Taft / University of Connecticut) and Dave Ljungquist (Oxford, Conn./Seymour), missed target in the fourth and eighth minutes. The Penmen then recorded two opportunities and took the lead in the 13th minute when Mohamed Toufik capitalized off a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box. The goal swung momentum in favor of SNHU as they held the Chargers without a shot for the remainder of the first half.
In the second half, both teams played back-and-forth throughout the 45 minutes. SNHU recorded shots in the opening minutes, while the Chargers answered in the 55th and 68th minutes. In the closing 15-minutes, the Chargers began to press on the offensive end and the Penmen snuck behind the defense to add an insurance goal in the 83rd minute. Chris Tsonis slipped a shot by Jonathan Creem (Naugatuck, Conn./Naugatuck ) to give the Penmen a 2-0 lead. New Haven couldn’t muster a shot in the closing minutes and the Chargers three game winning streak was broken.
Joseph D’Antonio (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside ), Ljungquist and Steven Gennuso (Middletown, Conn./Xavier ) each tallied two shots in the game. J.J. Comeau (Wallingford, Conn./Mark T. Sheehan ) led the team with four saves in the first half, while fellow senior Jonathan Creem (Naugatuck, Conn./Naugatuck ) added three saves in the second half. As a team, the Penmen out-shot UNH 15-8, and held a 5-2 advantage in corner kick opportunities.
The Chargers hit the road for their final two matches of the 2011 regular season. New Haven takes on the Dophins of Le Moyne College on Tuesday, October 25 before concluding the regular season on Friday, October 28 at Saint Anselm College. For complete coverage of both matches, stay posted to NewHavenChargers.com.
