When and Where: October 30, 2024 – Sparkill, N.Y. (Spartan Field)
Score: #6 Southern New Hampshire University 5, St. Thomas Aquinas College 0
Records: SNHU 12-2-0, STAC 6-7-3
Sophomore
Martin Zapata (Pamplona, Spain) and graduate student
Martin Fuentes (Pamplona, Spain) each notched a goal and an assist to lead the sixth-ranked Southern New Hampshire University men's soccer team to a 5-0 triumph over St. Thomas Aquinas College on Wednesday afternoon at Spartan Field.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
KEY MOMENTS
- Southern New Hampshire leaped out to a 1-0 lead just 1:57 in when Castro buried a free kick opportunity with a bending shot that snuck just inside the left post.
- SNHU doubled its lead in the 31st minute off a Perez header from a Fuentes feed.
- The Penmen scored a back-breaker of a goal just 27 seconds before halftime when Zapata caught the STAC goalkeeper too far out of the net and struck one from 40 yards out that found the back of the net. Graduate student Liam Evans (Rock Hill, N.Y.) collected an assist on the play.
- Fuentes made it 4-0 late in the 57th minute when he slid to knock in a quick pass from Zapata at the left post.
- Paron capped the scoring with 6:17 remaining when he received a perfect through-ball from junior Christian O'Hara (Sea Cliff, N.Y.) and deposited it inside the left post.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Neal stopped all three shots he faced over the opening 73:19, while junior AJ Deyarmin (Raymond, N.H.) made two saves in the final 16:41.
- St. Thomas Aquinas 'keeper Johan Morales stopped five of the 10 shots he faced.
- SNHU outshot STAC, 20-10, including 10-5 in shots on target.
- The Penmen also held a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks.
NOTES
- Southern New Hampshire, ranked sixth in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division II Top 25, wins for the 10th time in its last 11 matches.
- Southern New Hampshire improves to 4-0-0 all-time versus St. Thomas Aquinas. This was the first meeting between the two programs since Aug. 30, 2018 (6-1) and the first ever at STAC. SNHU is outscoring the Spartans, 17-2, in the series.
- Perez' goal is his NE10-leading ninth of the season and the 18th of his career.
- Castro's goal is his second of the season.
- Zapata now has six goals in his first season with the Penmen, while Fuentes is up to five.
- Paron's goal is the first of his career.
- The assists for O'Hara and Evans are the first of their career.
- SNHU is 143-39-24 (.752) over its last 206 matches dating back to the beginning of the 2013 National Championship season.
UP NEXT
- The Penmen are back in action Friday (Nov. 1) at 6 p.m. against the University of New Haven.
- SNHU wraps up the regular season Wednesday, Nov. 6 (7 p.m.) when it plays host to cross-town rival Saint Anselm College at Ouellette Stadium.
