Men's Soccer Puts Down Siena, 1-0, in 2011 Season Opener

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WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – After its 2011 season opener against Fordham was hampered by the effects of Hurricane Irene last Saturday, the University of Hartford men's soccer team returned to the pitch on Thursday evening and scored a 1-0 win over the Siena Saints in its “official” season opener. Sophomore midfielder Ryan Wahab provided the lone offense in the match that helped the Hawks put down the Saints (1-2) and reward first-year head coach Tom Poitras with his first win at Hartford.

The Saints had the first opportunity at seeing the scoreboard light up in the 23rd minute of play. On a breakaway, Nathan Olukanmi found himself in a one-on-one with Hartford keeper Luke Citriniti and fired a shot from inside of the box. Citriniti beat out the strike and was able to smother the ball from eight yards out to prevent the marker by the visiting team.

After seeing five first half looks at the net, Wahab sank his first career goal, which proved to be the eventual game-winner, in the 42nd minute. The sophomore tracked down a perfectly placed throw-in by senior Patrick Boucher, and off of one bounce, headed it home past Saints' keeper Jack Binks from inside of the box.

With just 30 seconds remaining until the halftime break, the home team had a shot at doubling its advantage to 2-0. Hartford pushed the ball ahead of its opponents and after Atobra Ampadu danced past a defender, he roped a shot from 18-yards out. The rookies' attempt scooted just wide of the mark and the Hawks entered intermission with a 1-0 lead.

Hartford clamped down on the defensive side of the pitch in the final 45, allowing its opponents just three shot attempts, one of which was on goal. The Saints had a chance to record the equalizer with just 30 seconds remaining on the scoreboard when midfielder Daniel Alderstad sent a header from six yards out however his attempt sailed over the crossbar and away from a charging Citriniti.

The Hawks edged Siena, 9-7, in shots and held a slight 3-2 advantage in corner kicks. Citriniti needed three saves to preserve the clean slate while Binks also rejected three shots in the match.

Hartford, now 1-0 on the season, will host the Fordham Rams in a makeup game on Saturday, September 3 at 7:00 p.m.

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