Mercyhurst beats New Haven 1-0 on Santos goal

Mercyhurst secured its first Northeast Conference win of the season on Sunday, defeating New Haven 1-0 in Erie. The victory moves the Lakers’ record to 4-3-6 overall and 1-1-3 in conference play, while dropping New Haven to 2-9-2 overall and 1-1-2 in the NEC.

First-Half Breakthrough

The Lakers controlled the flow of the match from the opening minutes, earning a corner kick in the second minute and applying early pressure with a run of shots from Luis Felipe Santos, Harrison Hubert, and Joe Chinchilla Sánchez. The offensive persistence paid off in the 35th minute when Santos broke the scoreless deadlock. Scoring at 34:02 off assists from Santiago Giraldo and Alvar Silva, Santos gave Mercyhurst a 1-0 lead.

Midway through the opening half, Silva and Idahir Deanda both forced saves before the Lakers added another corner at 18:50. New Haven registered its first listed attempts late in the half, but goalkeeper Jaime Tedaldi came up with saves in the 40th minute. Mercyhurst closed out the half with two additional corners and a Chinchilla shot saved by the Chargers, carrying their one-goal advantage into halftime.

Defensive Lockdown in the Second Half

In the second half, the Mercyhurst defense completely shut down the visitors, holding New Haven without a single shot over the final 45 minutes. The physical frame of the match included multiple fouls by New Haven, a corner kick conceded in the 60th minute, and a yellow card issued to Benjamin Buckley at 63:56.

The Lakers maintained their offensive momentum by orchestrating a sustained push between the 66th and 72nd minutes. During this stretch, Santos forced another save, Harrison Dudley and Buckley fired off attempts, and the Lakers earned back-to-back corner kicks. Mercyhurst successfully protected its advantage through the final whistle to lock down the 1-0 clean sheet.

Upcoming Matchup

With the victory secured, the Lakers now turn their attention to their next fixture. Mercyhurst prepares to host Le Moyne on October 25th at 1:00 PM.

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