BATISTA EARNS TWO GOALS AS MEN’S SOCCER TRIPS UP NEW HAVEN, 3-1

Box Score vs. New Haven - September 18, 2008

WEST HAVEN, Conn. (Sept. 18, 2008) - Sophomore midfielder Jose Batista (Forest Hills, N.Y.) notched a game-high two goals on Thursday afternoon as the Molloy College men's soccer team beat the University of New Haven, 3-1, at Kayo Field in West Haven, Conn. With the victory, the Lions ran their unbeaten streak to four games and ledger to 3-3-1 overall. As for the Chargers, they fell to 2-5.

After a scoreless first half, Molloy quickly broke the tie in the latter stanza as Batista recorded his first of two tallies on the day just 1:46 into the period. He punched a shot inside the right post off a feed from sophomore forward Emmanuel Gamez (Freeport, N.Y.). Then, in the 61st-minute, Batista struck again to make the score 2-0 as he found the back of the goal on an unassisted effort. In addition to those tallies, Batista registered four shots - all of which were on net.

Shortly thereafter, New Haven cut the margin in half as sophomore forward Nick Pezzente (Old Saybrook, Conn.) notched his seventh goal of the season off a pass from sophomore midfielder Nick Dionne (Meriden, Conn.). On the play, Dionne sent a good through ball to Pezzente, who sent it into the upper-right corner of the goal.

That tally was followed by another from the Lions, who held a 23-1 advantage in shots and a 6-2 edge in corner kicks. Senior forward Nick D'Alessandro (West Hempstead, N.Y.) shut the door on the Chargers in the 79th-minute as he scored his third goal of the year off a cross from junior forward John-Paul Hughes (Manchester, England).

New Haven senior goalkeeper James Hilaire (Jacmel, Haiti) made a game-high 10 saves, while Molloy senior goaltender Ettore Morelli (North Bellmore, N.Y.) knocked down no shots. The only one he tried to save was the score by Pezzente. Senior midfielder Graeme Roderick (Liverpool, England) attempted a game-high five shots for the Lions, while senior midfielder Michael Topel (Levittown, N.Y.) added three shots.

Head Coach Danny Longo and his squad return to action next Saturday when they open up a four-game homestand against Briarcliffe College. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.