HARTFORD, Conn. – The Trinity College Men's Soccer squad edged visiting Framingham State University, 2-1, in their 2024 season opener at Trinity Soccer Field Wednesday night. The Bantams begin the season with a 1-0 mark, while the Rams move to 0-1-1 overall.
 
After nearly 25 minutes of scoreless action, the Bantams cracked the scoreboard on a corner kick opportunity. A service from sophomore Ian Spiro curl towards the near corner of the box, where classmate Jack Murphy surged through the defense and dove for a header that soared past first year goalkeeper Timothy Singleton, staking Trinity to a 1-0 lead.
 
In the 32^nd minute of play, Murphy struck again as a deflected ball landed at his feet and he chipped a shot to the far upper corner, just beyond the diving attempt by Singleton to put the Bantams ahead 2-0.
 
The Rams cut into their deficit with 8:56 remaining in the first half as a failed clear from the box bounced to Framingham State sophomore Joao De Aquino, who fired a shot past Trinity junior goalkeeper Felix Schmidt, sending the teams into halftime with a 2-1 scoreboard.
 
"I think we delivered a good performance tonight," said Trinity Head Coach Methembe Ndlovu. "We had a couple lapses defensively, and we were fortunate, but overall there were a lot of positives to build from. We moved the ball well and had good ball speed, and we looked dangerous and eager to move forward. I feel like we are deeper this year, but also a little bit young, so I expect our first years to contribute more as they get comfortable. We need to work on being more clinical in front of the goal, we put ourselves in good positions but just couldn't finish plays, so that's something to improve upon. This weekend is a huge game against Bates, but we need to take it as any other game and not put any unnecessary pressure on ourselves."
 
The Bantams dominated the shot column, 25-3, and controlled corner kicks, 14-0. The Trinity defensive unit limited the Rams to one shot on goal during the contest, while Singleton stopped two shots for the Rams.
 
Trinity will be back on the pitch for their New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) season opener at Bates College Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Framingham State hosts Clark University Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
TRINITY ATHLETICS