WENHAM, Mass. - The Hartford men's soccer team picked up a huge three points on Saturday night defeating Gordon College 1-0 in the Conference of New England (CNE) opener.
Rapid Recap:
- The game was very physical throughout with the first shot coming in the 26th minute with junior Cristian Vitti (Stamford, Conn.) making the save for Hartford. The lone goal of the contest would come in the 28th minute as a cross found the foot of a center back for the Scots who rocketed it into the wrong net to give the Hawks the lead. Gordon would get two chances two minutes later with Vitti making a save and then Luke Lindas hitting the woodwork as the game stayed 1-0. Freshman Giancarlo Bacabac (Somers, Conn.) had a chance in the 35th minute that went just high. Caio Brito for the Scots had the final chance in the 45 minute with Vitti denying the chance to keep the lead safe.
- The Scots stayed hungry getting another chance in the 51st minute, but once again Vitti was up for the challenge making the stop. Sophomore Eddie Hageman (Colchester, Conn.) had the lone shot on target for the Hawks in the 62nd minute forcing a save from Cortez Cardone. The teams would continue to battle with the next real chance coming in the 75th minute, but it was well off target for the home side. Gordon had two more chances in the 87th and 89th minute, but both didn't hit the target as the Hawks left Wenham with the 1-0 win.
Post Game Press:
"A win on the road in our first conference game is an amazing feeling", said junior
Cristian Vitti (Stamford, Conn.). "The clean sheet was the cherry on top. The team worked so hard for all 90 minutes and did well to keep them at bay. Great feeling and looking forward to many more this season."
Inside the Numbers:
- The own goal generated is the third overall goal for the Hawks in three matches.
- Vitti stopped five shots to produce his first clean sheet on the 2026 season. Cristian improves to 2-1 on the year.
- Cardone only had a single save in the loss as the Scots fell to 2-2-1 on the year.
- Gordon out shot the Hawks by a 9-6 total and a 5-1 on target differential.
Up Next:
The Hawks will host Eastern Connecticut State University on September 15th at 6:00 PM in the home opener.
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