EASTON, Mass. (November 3, 2024) – Stonehill men's soccer scored a season-high five goals in Sunday's Senior Day win over Chicago State at W.B. Mason Stadium in a Northeast Conference matchup.
 
Six Skyhawk seniors were honored before Sunday's NEC win over the Cougars. Stonehill's graduating class includes Ayden Dias (Trumbull, Conn.), Nate Lagoa (Rehoboth, Mass.), Colby Meyer (Shrewsbury, Mass.), Colin Milliken (Easton, Mass.), Seamus O'Keefe (West Newbury, Mass.), and Nicholas Vitti (Milford, Conn.).
 
Highlights

• Sophomore Tyler Sloan (Tallahassee, Fla.) improved to 5-3-0 in net this season while his save percentage improved to .761, and his goals allowed average went down to 1.32.
• Junior Shane Fonseca (Framingham, Mass.) scored his second goal of the season and recorded his second assist of the year to lead all scorers with three points on Sunday.
• Freshman James Forrest-Hay (Newburyport, Mass.) netted the second goal of his career, and it goes down as his first career game-winner.
• Lagoa scored his second career goal with a successful penalty kick to open the scoring.
• The final three goals came late in the second half as freshman Nate Monteiro (Brockton, Mass.), Fonseca, and Vitti tacked on insurance scores for the Skyhawks.
• Junior Owen Burke (Holliston, Mass.) and sophomore Tiago Lima-Bittencourt (Charlotte, N.C.) are now tied for the team lead with four assists this season after they both tallied one in Sunday's win.
• Stonehill picked up its second NEC win of the season, but the Skyhawks were officially eliminated from playoff contention this afternoon after LIU secured the fourth and final seed in the NEC tournament.
• Chicago State's lone goal came from Danail Sergiev, who leads the Cougars with six goals this season.

How it Happened 
With just five seconds left in the second half, sophomore Jared Rapoza (Somerset, Mass.) was tripped up in the 18-yard box, setting the Skyhawks up for a penalty kick. Lagoa stepped up to the challenge, firing a right-footed shot to the back right corner of the goal to put the Skyhawks up 1-0.
 
In the 50th minute, Lima-Bittencourt found an opening in the Cougars' defense on the left side of the 18-yard box, sending a pass toward Forrest-Hay who got his left foot on the ball for a shot that went past the dive of Chicago State goalkeeper Lucas Fontana to put the Skyhawks up 2-0.
 
The Cougars responded in the 52nd minute as Danail Sergiev teed up a free kick from the 20-yard line, lining a shot through Stonehill's wall of defenders before going off the hand of the diving Sloan and into the net to make the score 2-1.
 
Chicago State had a chance to tie the score in the 56th minute, but Sloan stood tall, making a save on a ball that was lined right at him before junior Terence O'Neill (Franklin, Mass.) stepped in front of the net, stopping the rebound from going in to record a team save for the Skyhawks, keeping the 2-1 advantage intact.
 
Stonehill's third goal came in the 59th minute as Monteiro weaved past Chicago State's back line to set up a one-on-one with Fontana who came out of the net but was unable to make the save as Monteiro's shot rolled into the bottom left corner of the net.
 
In the 81st minute, Burke lofted a pass from the Skyhawks' defensive end to a streaking Fonseca who found himself in a one-on-one with the keeper, rifling a left-footed shot on goal that went past the outstretched arm of Fontana to put Stonehill ahead 4-1.
 
The fifth Skyhawk goal came in the final minute of action as Vitti broke free, securing a great lead pass from Fonseca before chipping his shot attempt over Fontana, who could only turn and watch as the ball floated into the back of the net.
 
Up Next
Stonehill men's soccer (6-8-3, 2-3-2 NEC) travels to Central Connecticut State (0-14-1, 0-7-0 NEC) in New Britain, Conn for its season finale.
 
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