STANDISH, Maine – Junior forward Brett Mattos (Mahopac, N.Y.) tallied a pair of goals and an assist to help lift #23 Saint Joseph's College (15-0-1, 9-0-1 GNAC) past Mount Ida College (8-6-2, 5-4-1 GNAC), 4-0, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's soccer action at the SJC Athletics Complex on Saturday afternoon.
With his second goal of the game, Mattos broke the Monks' single-season record and now has 18 tallies through 16 contests. The previous record-holder, Zach Johnson '13, netted 17 goals over 20 games during the 2011 campaign.
With the shutout victory, Saint Joseph's remains as the only team in the nation – men's or women's, all three NCAA levels - that has yet to give up a goal. The Monks have outscored their opponents by a 57-0 collective score and have tied the team's single-season victories record, which was originally set last fall.
For the second-consecutive season, the Monks have locked up the top seed in the GNAC Tournament and kick off their bid to win back-to-back conference crowns with a quarterfinal contest versus #8 Suffolk University next Sunday, kick-off TBD.
SENIOR MOMENT:
Prior to the start of the contest, the SJC men's soccer program held a brief ceremony to honor the team's three seniors: Daniel Fox (South Portland, Maine), Justin Karageorge (North Smithfield, R.I.), and Trevor Lopes (Cumberland, R.I.). This group of seniors has helped the Monks post a 46-24-8 (.657) record, including a 28-9-2 (.757) mark in GNAC play, with a GNAC Championship and an NCAA Tournament victory during their career.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After a sluggish first half that featured mostly midfield play, the Monks kicked it into gear with steady offensive pressure in the second stanza. The efforts paid off when Mattos scored his first of the day off a free kick attempt taken from the right of the box by sophomore Cody Elliott (Gorham, Maine). Elliott delivered a ground-hugging ball through the goalmouth as two Mount Ida defenders collided, freeing up Mattos to net a close-range marker.
Mattos made it a 2-0 game 3:41 later when he capitalized on a nifty pass from junior Jesse Ramirez (Dumont, N.J.). In the midst of several defenders right in front of the net, Ramirez received a pass from the right and deftly tapped the ball to Mattos, who finished with a shot inside the near post.
Lopes upped the SJC cushion to 3-0 at the 84:27 mark when he scored his eighth of the year on a give-and-go from Mattos. Freshman Colin Grant (Harvard, Mass.) netted his first collegiate goal, off a Noah Elmore (Berlin, Vt.) feed, to cap the game scoring with 87:35 left.
THE KEEPERS:
Junior Blake Mullen (Manchester, Conn.) tallied five saves to pick up his 15th victory, and ninth shutout, of the year while his counterpart, Mount Ida senior Riley Ford (Guilderland, N.Y.) registered four stops in a losing effort.
TEAM STATS:
Saint Joseph's held advantages in shots (18-8) and shots on goal (9-5) while both teams attempted a pair of corner kicks in the conference bout.
OF NOTE:
The three SJC fall teams – field hockey and men's and women's soccer – remain undefeated at the SJC Athletics Complex with a 19-0-2 collective record.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the triumph, Saint Joseph's improves to 9-4 all-time versus Mount Ida College and has now defeated the Mustangs in four-consecutive meetings.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's wraps up the regular season Wednesday with a non-conference game at Keene State College. Kick-off is slated for 7:00 PM.
#GOMONKS
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
