Pioneers Visit Providence and Yale in the Week Ahead
9/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Weekly Men's Soccer Report - Head Coach Joe Barroso (Video)
FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Sacred Heart University men's soccer
team, ranked second in the NSCAA/Hendrickcars.com
North Atlantic Region, enters the third week of the
season with a 4-0 record and faces a pair of non-conference
opponents on the road. The Pioneers open the week at
Providence, this afternoon at 3:00 pm. On Saturday the team
visits intrastate rival Yale for a 7:00 pm kickoff.
About the Pioneers... Sacred Heart has
raced out to a 4-0 start, the best in the program's Division I
history, and takes that record on the road to Providence and Yale
this week. Sophomore defender Marcello
Castro (Panana, Brazil) leads the team in scoring with three
goals, matching his 2009 total, and one assist for seven total
points. Classmate Brian
Francolini (Ellington, Conn.) ranks second on the team in
scoring with one goal and one assist. Junior goalkeeper Alex
Fait (Ottawa, Ont.) holds a 0.71 goals against average and has
turned away opponents' shots at a rate of .857.
Scouting the Friars... Providence sits at
1-1-1 on the year. Freshman forward Greg Davis leads the
team in scoring after recording a pair of goals through three
games. Senior goalkeeper Jhojan Obando has started all three
games in net and sports a 1.62 GAA and .643 save percentage.
PC opened its season with a 2-1 victory over Rhode Island, followed
up by a scoreless tie at Brown. Most recently, the Friars
fell at #23 Michigan State, 4-0.
Scouting the Bulldogs... Yale has dropped
each of its first four decisions to start the 2010 season.
Senior midfielder Andy Shorten has netted a pair of goals to lead
the team in scoring. Sophomore netminder Bobby Thalman
holds a 1.70 GAA and a .720 save percentage. The Bulldogs
host Central Connecticut tonight at 7:00 pm in their home
opener.
Last Time Out... SHU defeated Adelphi,
2-1 in overtime, on the road. Castro scored the first goal of
the game on a free kick that skidded beneath the Panthers' wall and
into the net. In the extra fram Francolini notched his first
goal of the game to give the Pioneers their fourth straight
win. In the cage, Fait stopped seven shots to preserve the
victory.
Last Time vs. PC... A year ago, Sacred
Heart fell to Providence, in double overtime, 2-1 on Campus
Field. Timothy Ritter posted the game winner in the 109th
minute. The Friars held a slight edge in shots, 15-14, for
the game. Fait made 10 saves, to PC keeper Timothy
Murray's five.
Last Time vs. Yale... The Pioneers had
their most impressive offensive performance of the 2009 season, a
year in which theyr totaled only 16 goals, with a 4-0 thrashing
against the Bulldogs on Campus Field. As freshman, Castro,
Francolini, and Justin
Brewer (Somers, Conn.) all recorded goals for Sacred
Heart. Fait earned the shutout by making six saves.
Up Next... The Pioneers play their final
game of a four game road stretch at Iona on Wednesday September 22
at 3:00 pm. On October 1, Sacred Heart returns home to host
Long Island, at 6:00 pm, for the first Northeast Conference game of
the season.
