Men’s soccer breaks even with AIC

Photo courtesy of Charger Bulletin/Tyler Wells

Dante Polletta makes contact with the American International College defender, West Haven, Sept. 17, 2022.

A high-spirited match of men’s soccer between New Haven and American International College ended in a scoreless tie on Saturday night at Kathy Zolad Stadium. It was a back and forth affair with both teams generating quality scoring chances but not finding the back of the net. With the tie, New Haven falls to 0-4-2 on the year (0-1-1 NE-10).

Both teams brought high energy early and often, moving the ball all around the field and looking to establish a lead. New Haven was able to get towards the goal early on after starting the game with the ball, registering two shots in the first five minutes of play. They were unable to get past AIC’s goalkeeper, Lucas Morales-Fernandez, who tallied eight saves.

There was no shortage of opportunities for New Haven as they finished the game with 21 shots to AIC’s four. They kept the pressure on the opposing team throughout the match but were unable to capitalize on any of their chances. Fabio Bastina Andreu led the Chargers in shots with four, with three other players registering three.

New Haven’s best chance to score came in the 50th minute, when they fired off five shots in a row, with three spectacular saves by Morales-Fernandez. Midfielder Chris Chyzowych started it off with a shot off the post, followed by Morales-Fernandez’s three saves, capped off with a shot by Bastina Andreu that just missed high.

The rest of the game went by quietly with neither team being able to beat the goalkeepers. New Haven goalie Themis Kastoris only faced one shot on goal, which he quickly shut down.

New Haven will now head up to Worcester, Mass. to face off with Assumption University on Tuesday at Ronald J. Abdow Field. Kickoff will be at 7:00 pm as the Chargers look to get in the win column. More information can be found at NewHavenChargers.com.