Saint Michael's College

WORCESTER, Mass. - The Saint Michael's College men's soccer team opened Northeast 10 Conference play with a 3-2 loss to Assumption University on Saturday at Norman R. Marois '57 Field.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (1-4-2, 0-1 NE10), Assumption (4-1-1, 1-0 NE10)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Senior Treyce Brannigan (Nantucket, Mass./Nantucket), 1 goal
• Junior Cristian Torres (Meriden, Conn./Xavier/Central Connecticut State), 8 saves

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Senior Cody Holbert, 1 goal, 2 assists
• Sophomore Evan Fletcher, 1 goal
• First-year Ludvig Svegart, 1 goal
• Junior Federico Foganio, 3 saves

GAME FACTS

• The Purple Knights are now 7-5-3 against Assumption since 2014, with each loss in that time coming by a single goal.

THE ACTION

• Torres offset Assumption holding a 7-2 lead in first-half shots with a pair of saves.
• The Purple Knights took a 1-0 advantage into halftime thanks to an own goal, as junior Joey Manley (Burlington, Vt./Vermont Academy) played a ball into the box that was misplayed by a defender in the 45th minute.
• Holbert leveled the teams in the 57th minute by blasting a penalty kick down the middle.
• Holbert also set up the go-ahead marker in the 64th minute, playing a pass out wide for Svegart, who ran on and hit the upper netting from the left flank.
• Fletcher made it 3-1 in the 71st minute, one-touching home Holbert's pass to the middle of the box.
• Brannigan cut the deficit to a single goal in the 79th minute, collecting Foganio's clearance 10 yards outside the box and sailing a shot into the right side of the net.
• First-year Johnluca Frenzilli (North Kingstown, R.I./Mount Saint Charles Academy) nearly found the equalizer in the 85th minute but slipped a shot just wide of the left post.
• Torres made a pair of important stops on Holbert in the 89th minute, including a diving save for the second rejection, to help the Purple Knights earn one final possession, but a tying attempt never came.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Wednesday at No. 19 Franklin Pierce University, 4 p.m.
• The Ravens, who won four of the past five NE10 Championships and qualified for the past six NCAA Tournaments, earned their national ranking from the United Soccer Coaches. They are also ranked third in the East Region poll.