When and Where: October 5, 2024 – Worcester, Mass. (Marois Field)
Score: #22 Southern New Hampshire University 6, Assumption University 0
Records: SNHU 7-1-0 (4-0-0 NE10), AU 3-4-1 (0-2-1 NE10)
Junior
Iago Perez (A Coruña, Spain) scored two more goals, and sophomore
Charlie Preus (London, United Kingdom) tallied a goal and an assist, as the 22nd-ranked Southern New Hampshire University men's soccer team rolled to a 6-0 victory at Assumption University on Saturday afternoon at Marois Field. The victory marked the 100th career win for head coach
Josh Taylor.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
KEY MOMENTS
- Perez set the tone just 2:29 into the contest off an assist from Castro.
- The score remained 1-0 until midway through the 56th minute when Castro set up Zapata to double the Penmen lead.
- Herrmann made it 3-0 just 51 seconds later.
- The flood gates flew open with 6:06 remaining, as the Penmen tacked on three goals in a span of 4:49, beginning with Perez potting his second off a Preus pass.
- Preus then added his own midway through the 86th off an assist from junior Alejo Caceres (Cordoba, Argentina), before O'Hara found the back of the net with 1:17 to go off a feed from sophomore Joel Morrison (Sanford, Maine).
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Assumption 'keeper Iver Sjavag turned away 12 of the 18 shots he faced.
- The Penmen outshot the Greyhounds, 27-15, including 16-9 in the second half and 18-6 in shots on goal.
- SNHU also dominated corner kicks, 10-2.
NOTES
- Southern New Hampshire, ranked No. 22 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division II Top 25 poll, has won seven of its first eight matches for the first time since it started the 2018 campaign a perfect 8-0-0. SNHU has won five-in-a-row, including four via shutout.
- SNHU's five-match win streak is the longest since the team won five-in-a-row Oct. 13-27, 2021.
- Taylor, in his 10th season as head coach of the Penmen, following eight years as an assistant, is now 100-36-21 (.704) as the bench boss of the program. The eight head coach in program history, he is the third to reach 100 wins.
- The Penmen have six clean sheets in their first eight matches for the first time since the 2010 season when they blanked seven of their first eight opponents. Their three goals allowed and 0.38 goals-against average (GAA) both lead the NE10.
- The Penmen lead the all-time series with the Greyhounds, 22-4-4, and are unbeaten in 14 of the last 17 meetings (13-3-1), though Assumption had entered the matching winning three of the last four. The victory snapped a two-match skid in Worcester for the Penmen, who beat the 'Hounds on the road for the first time since Sept. 20, 2017 (2-0).
- The shutout for Neal is his sixth of the season and 15th of his career. Neal paces the league in GAA (0.29), save percentage (.909) and shutouts.
- Perez has scored goals in each of the four contests he has played in this season and, despite missing the first four matches of the year due to injury, is already tied for the team lead in goals (5) with Herrmann. Perez now has 14 career goals.
- Zapata paces the team in overall scoring with 12 points (4g, 4a), while Caceres is first in assists (6).
- Preus' goal is his third of the season and of his career.
- O'Hara scores for the first time in his career. Morrison also collected his first career point with the assist.
- SNHU is 138-38-24 (.750) over its last 200 matches dating back to the beginning of the 2013 National Championship season.
UP NEXT
- The Penmen will now gear up for a showdown with two-time defending NCAA Division II National Champion Franklin Pierce University on Tuesday (Oct. 8) at 7 p.m. under the lights at Ouellette Stadium.
