COLCHESTER, Vt. - One goal in each half lifted the regionally-ranked Saint Michael's College men's soccer team past Saint Anselm College, 2-0, during Northeast 10 Conference play on Saturday at Duffy Field. The Purple Knights were seventh in this week's United Soccer Coaches East Region poll.
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RECORDS
- Saint Michael's (6-2-1, 3-1 NE10), Saint Anselm (3-3-4, 0-3-1 NE10)
SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS
- Junior Ronnie Riby-Williams (Montpelier, Vt./Montpelier), 1 goal
- Sophomore Rodrigo Salamanca Lopez (Madrid, Spain/Colegio Internacional Aravaca), 1 goal
- Senior Garrett Smith (Gorham, Maine/Bridgton Academy/Bryant), 4 saves
- Senior Mikel Penin (Bergara, Basque Country/Ipintza Institutua/Spring Hill), 1 assist
- Sophomore Yihun Burnham (Middletown, Conn./Middletown), 1 assist
OPPONENT LEADERS
- Senior David Hood, 7 saves
GAME FACTS
- Saint Michael's moved to 3-2 in the last five meetings between the teams, each of which were decided via shutout.
- In just his second year on the squad, Smith moved into a tie with Jon Zaffino '94 for eighth in program history in career shutouts (10).
- The Purple Knights held a 16-12 lead in shots, while the Hawks claimed a 9-6 edge in corner kicks.
- Saint Anselm entered the game fourth among all East Region squads with a 0.67 goals-against average, having yielded just six goals thus far this season.
THE ACTION
- Smith slid to the edge of the box to deny first-year Luke Delia's 23rd-minute bid.
- The Purple Knights went ahead on Salamanca Lopez's 35th-minute free kick, a left-footed blast that slipped through Hood's fingers near the right post.
- Riby-Williams doubled the lead in the 73rd minute, running on to Penin's through ball and finishing from the right side of the box. Burnham sparked the sequence with a pass down the middle of the field.
- Smith maintained the shutout with a diving save of first-year Parker Bienvenue-Cernuda's header off of a corner kick service in the 85th minute.
NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME
- Tuesday vs. Franklin Pierce University, 7 p.m.
- The Ravens were fifth in this week's United Soccer Coaches East Region poll.