The Hawks Drop Their Third Straight to Open the Men’s Soccer Season
August 31, 2023 –
Saint Joseph’s opened the season with a three-game homestand. But the young Hawks are still seeking their first win and goal of the season. The Boston University Terriers came to Sweeney Field and took home a 1 – 0 victory.
This team is still learning to create an effective style of play, especially on offense. And a bigger teaching point is they are learning to handle adversity.
“These games are like trial and error,” D’Ambra said. “It’s about how you manage it and how we can push the game forward. Hopefully these games are going to make us stronger for a later push. Sometimes they can crack a team, but these guys are very high character. They care a lot. So there’s a lot of belief right now.”
The game-winner came at the 10:57 mark of the first half by Terriers midfielder Daniel Kim with Andrew Rent and Colin Innes getting the assists.
Hawks Took Second Half Momentum
Despite being outshot 6 – 3 in the first half, SJU turned it around in the second half and had a 7 – 3 edge in shots. Saint Joe’s took all three of the second half corner kicks. The territorial advantage went in the direction of the home team, but they could not find the back of the net. Their best chance came when the ball got into a crowded box very late in the game. There was a scramble. A shot by Hawks midfielder Fletcher Caponecchia could not get through and was blocked. BU cleared as the last ten seconds ticked off the clock.
“We made a formation change that made a big difference,” D’Ambra observed. “I think they fed off that. They’re eager to get a result and get on the winning board. These guys aren’t complacent. They’re not losing faith. They realize we are not reaching our peak potential yet.”
“We had a couple of really good chances. So that’s the first step, creating the right chances.”
Hawks Looking for Goal Number One
The Hawks suffered another shutout. After suffering a variety of injuries, and players beginning to gain valuable experience as they look for its identity on offense.
“We had a lot of injuries, we have a lot of new guys and still trying to find ourselves and get that chemistry on the field and every game we keep getting better,” said D’Ambra.
“A lot of our injured guys are attacking players, so there are a lot of freshmen we’re playing early on. It was just these guys getting thrown into the fire. Now it’s creating that chemistry and me figuring out what the right blend of combination of players are too.”
Up Next
The next chance for Saint Joseph’s comes next Tuesday on the road as they travel to North Broad Street to meet city rival Temple. In addition to both squads seeking win number one, when the Hawks and the Owls tangle, feathers fly.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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