Aug. 31, 2012
PHILADELPHIA - After kicking off the season with a 2-1 OT win over Hartwick and a 2-0 loss to NJIT, the men's soccer team stands at 1-1 overall heading into the second weekend of the 2012 season.
Looking ahead, the Hawks will play St. Francis (N.Y.) this Saturday, Sept. 1 in the teams' first meeting. St. Francis will enter Saturday's game 0-2, having dropped matches to Connecticut and Hofstra.
SJU will then take to the road for the University of Kentucky Invitational where it will compete against host Kentucky (Sept. 7) and Stony Brook (Sept. 9). The matches will mark the Hawks' first time playing against both opponents.
Big-Shot Brooks: Tommy Brooks's header into the net in the third minute of play against Hartwick marked the first Hawks goal of the season and the first goal of the sophomore defender's career.
D'Ottavi Defense: Senior goalkeeper Andrew D'Ottavi ranked fifth in the nation in saves per game (6.33) and ninth nationally in total saves (95) last season...Heading into Saturday's game, the captain has played in 33 career games while allowing just 79 goals and recording 202 saves.
Fantastic Firsts at Finnesey: SJU's win over Hartwick marks the first time since 2002 that Saint Joseph's has won its first game of the season...With one win already under their belts, the Hawks broke a twelve-home-game losing streak, dating back to October 22, 2010, with their win over Hartwick.
Head Hawks: 2012's tri-captains include D'Ottavi, senior midfielder Tim Brennan, and junior midfielder Pat McGlynn...D'Ottavi started 13 of 15 games played in 2011 while the midfield duo started all 17 games last season.
Right-On-Time Reilly: Junior midfielder Jimmy Reilly came through with the game-winning goal in SJU's 2-1 OT win over Hartwick on August 24...The goal came in the 95th minute and marked Reilly's first collegiate goal.
Seasoned Starters: The Hawks started nine veterans against Hartwick and ten veterans against NJIT.
Speed Shots: SJU's offense came ready to attack in the first two games of the season, firing off four shots within the first six minutes of play against Hartwick and two shots in the first two and a half minutes of NJIT's game.
Welcome to Hawk Hill: Transfers Ryan Kelly and Jake Mulinge have seen action in both games thus far with Mulinge getting the start against Hartwick...Freshman Tim Lazorko has started in both of the first two outings of his collegiate career while classmates Emmanuel Temeh, Mike Serban, and Adam Wissner have also seen playing time.
