#10 Men's Soccer Opens NE-10 Play Tuesday vs. AIC
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NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The No. 10 Merrimack College men's soccer team opens Northeast-10 Conference play on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. when the Warriors welcome American International to Martone-Mejail Field. With a victory, the Navy and Gold will start the year 5-0 for the first time since 2010.
The Basics
Date/Time: 9/15 | 7 p.m.
Records: #10 Merrimack (4-0, 0-0 NE-10) | AIC (2-1, 0-0 NE-10)
Location: Martone-Mejail Field | North Andover, Mass.
Last Time Out:
The Warriors took down previously undefeated Bridgeport, 4-1, to conclude play at the UB Men's Soccer Classic. Senior forward Augusto Silva (Hudson, Mass.) scored twice in the first half and once in the second to record his first career hat trick to lead Merrimack. Silva tallied a goal off a header, a shot from outside the 18-yard box and his final tally came on a penalty kick. Senior Douglas Searl (Westford, Mass.) pocketed the other goal off a set piece for the Warriors.
Silva was named NE-10 Player of the Week for his efforts after totaling four goals last week. He also scored as part of Merrimack's 2-1 victory over No. 15 LIU Post on Thursday. Silva now has 19 goals in his career, tying him for 15th place on the Warriors' all-time list. He leads the conference and the team in both goals (5) and points (10), and is ranked ninth nationally in goals scored.
Through four games, the Merrimack defense has held teams to just eight shots on goal, while goalkeeper Lucas Rezende (Weymouth, Mass.) owns a 1.50 goals against average. The backline has produced as well with seniors Julio Leon Garcia (Caracas, Venezuela) and Searl, along with junior Joseph Briers (Nottingham, England), combining for four goals. Outside back Mattia Lanzi (Viterbo, Italy) is the lone starting back without a goal, but ranks fourth on the team with five shots including one that rang off the pipe against Post.
With three assists in two games last week, sophomore midfielder Juan Meza (Cali, Colombia) sits tied for first in the conference in assists. Junior Oscar Zepeda Cagide (Jalisco, Mexico) also has multiple helpers (2) for Merrimack. The Warriors have assists on seven of their 12 goals this year.
Last Season vs. AIC:
The Navy and Gold scored a season-high seven goals last year in a 7-0 defeat of AIC out in Springfield. Meza opened the scoring with his second of the year, while sophomore Michael Dushman (Bedford, Mass.) also contributed a tally for the Warriors.
Junior Jaime Cortes Torres (Seville, Spain) posted a career afternoon, recording a brace with a goal in each half. Both tallies came on crosses into the box, with Cortes Torres finishing the services into the back of the net.
The Yellow Jackets:
- American International arrives in North Andover on a two-game winning streak, both of which were 1-0 victories against East Coast Conference opponents. Most recently, the Yellow Jackets took down NYIT, 1-0, on an 89th-minute goal
- AIC has scored three goals through three games, two of which came off the foot of Alec Cerquiera. Alejandro Alvarez recorded the other tally so far for the Yellow Jackets
- Their backline has not allowed a goal over the last two games and has a shutout streak of 208:01. Goalkeeper Sebastian Tamayo was named NE-10 Goalkeeper of the Week after two clean sheets and 10 saves over two matches
Up Next
Merrimack travels to New Haven on Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. for its first conference road game against the Chargers.
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