Rockville Centre, N.Y. – The Molloy men's soccer team kicked off the 2023 season with a 1-0 shut out over the Saint Anselm Hawks Thursday evening at John A. Darcy Field.  
 
How it Happened

• Saint Anselm looked to get on the board quickly In the third minute, but a shot from Zach Verow was blocked outside of the 18-yard box.
• 10 minutes later, the Hawks generated another scoring opportunity, but put its shot wide to keep the game scoreless.
• Defense and possession was the name of the game over the next 28 minutes of action, as neither team generated a scoring chance.
• The Lions only tallied one shot in the opening half but made the most of it in the 45^th minute. Junior Diogo Ferreira took advantage of the goalie coming off his line and fired a shot into a wide-open net to give Molloy a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
• 84 seconds into the second half, the road team generated a scoring chance, but graduate student Dennis Mejia denied the game-tying goal to keep the Lions in front.
• The cardinal and white looked to extend its lead in the 55^th minute. Sophomore Matt Star rang a shot off the cross bar and freshman Harvey Chahal followed it with a header off the rebound but was denied keeping the game at 1-0.
• The Falcons looked to generate a scoring chance in the 63^rd minute, but a shot from Lucas Bravo Olle was blocked by the Lions back line.
• The next 16 minutes of action was paced by the defense as neither team generated a shot.
• Saint Anselm had one final chance to tie the contest in the 80^th minute, but Mejia made a save to secure the victory, 1-0.

 
Top Performances

• Ferreira netted his first goal as a Molloy Lion.
• Maurice led the team with two shots.
• Junior Matt Laya-Vetell and Chahal added one shot on goal apiece.
• In goal, Mejia made two saves to pick up the shut out.

 
Up Next
The Lions return home Sunday (Sept. 3) as they welcome East Stroudsburg to the den. Kick-off is set for 6:00 p.m.