EAST BOSTON – Suffolk men's soccer picked up their first win in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) play Saturday afternoon with a 1-0 victory versus Endicott. The win came thanks to Matthew Belluardo's first collegiate goal and marks the Rams second consecutive 1-0 scoresheet. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 1 | Endicott 0
RECORDS: Suffolk (5-2-2, 1-0-1 CCC) | Endicott (5-3-1, 1-1-0 CCC)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
After a scoreless first half that had limited shots by both teams, Suffolk opened the scoring in the second stanza in the 51st minute. A Rams free kick from the right sideline fell into the box where Brady Sorensen was able to head towards the net to assist Belluardo's header that found the back of the net.

In the 68th minute Endicott found a hole in the Suffolk defense and had a scoring chance from inside the penalty box. Xander Balog made a save with his right foot in the bottom right corner of the goal to protect the Rams lead.  

The Gulls had another clean look on net with three minutes left on the clock. A right footed shot from the center of the penalty box. Once again Balog's boot turned aside the attempt.  

The one-goal gap remained in the Rams favor the rest of the way as Suffolk's defense backed up Balog. The blue-and-gold backline blocked a pair of shots and the sophomore's goalie gloves gobbled up the lone attempt on target the rest of the way to preserve the victory. 

NETMINDER NOTES

• Balog finished with four saves. 
• Zach Regulbuto started for the Gulls and made two stops in net.
• Kyle Rosa subbed in less than five minutes into the second half, but did not face any shots on target.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Belluardo scored the lone goal in the CCC matchup.
• Sorenson recorded one assist.
• Endicott outshot Suffolk, 11-4. 
• The Rams had three shots on net compared to the Gulls four. 
• Endicott accounted for all seven of the corner kicks in the contest.   

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk recorded its first-ever win against Endicott. 
• The Rams moved to 1-3-0 overall when playing the Gulls. 
• The blue-and-gold improved to 1-1-0 when hosting Endicott. 
• This was the first time Suffolk has shutout the Gulls. 
• Suffolk is now, 1-1-0, against Endicott in the Bill Maddock era. 
• The Rams kept their fourth opponent off the scoreboard this season. 
• Suffolk's last two games have ended via 1-0 decisions. 
• Belluardo tallied his first collegiate point with the lone goal of the afternoon. 
• Sorensen dished out his first assist of the season.

POST-GAME PIC


WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk continues its homestand in Eastie Wednesday, Sept. 28 for a matchup with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at 7 p.m.