EMERSON STIFLES MEN'S SOCCER, 3-0

BOSTON, Mass - The Emerson Lions Men's Soccer team shut out the Emmanuel College Saints, 3-0, on a cool night at Rotch Field.

Duncan Bochicchio began Emerson's journey when he snapped a header that was stopped, but not contained, by Emmanuel keeper Joe Russo, who was promptly scored on by Dan Knight, with a header of his own in the third minute. Russo ended the night with 3 saves on 6 shots.

The Lions managed the first seven shots of the contest, with three of them on target. After the ninth minute, there were no shots on goal from either brigade for the next 35 minutes. Each side had created decent chances, and many missed shots traveled within a foot of the post or crossbar. 

Bochicchio erased any doubt as to which side would carry the momentum through the interval, when he ran directly down the middle of the field, and with a sift kick, doubled Emerson's lead with forty seconds left in the half.

At halftime the Saints had only mustered two shots, with the Lions managing eleven. 

Emmanuel dominated possession for the first fifteen minutes of the second half, having four shots to a quite Lion's offense.  

Bochicchio tallied the first shot of the half for Emerson in the 62nd minute, and his solid effort on the near miss showed his defiance. He was refusing to let the Emmanuel defense keep him at bay.

Emmanuel's Jordan Maurer had the Saints' best play of the night in the 65th minute, off a recent corner, when he fired a bullet of a shot destined for bottom-right corner before being saved by a sprawling Lucas Fischer.

Emmanuel started to apply more offensive pressure. Fortunately for Emerson, Dan Knight was keen to usurp control. In the 69th minute he put pressure back on Emmanuel's Russo, and nearly grazed the bar with a lively shot that was taken from the far right section of the penalty area. Emerson would intercept the ensuing goal kick, control possession for a minute in their forward half, eventually working the ball within 12 yards. The ball bounced around Lions and Saints for several minutes before being struck with authority from Bochicchio for his second score of the evening, that would also be the final goal.

The Lions' forwards found the scoreboard, their midfielders dominated possession, their defenders altered plenty of shots, and the goalkeepers Lucas Fischer and Connor Dane combined for a clean sheet. 

The Lions will be in good form when they face WPI on the road this Saturday at 4:00pm while the Saints head to Northfield, Vt. for a GNAC showdown against Norwich University at 11:30 am.

*Release courtesy of John Newton & Emerson College Athletic Communications