Lucena, Knights roll past NHTI

by Dan Blair

Haverhill, MA (09/12/2024) — Freshman Sam Lucena's (Tynsborough) four goal effort on Tuesday night was all the Northern Essex Community College men's soccer team needed en route to 8-0 non-conference victory over the Lynx of NHTI on Tuesday evening under the lights at Whittier Tech. With the win, the Knights improve their record to 2-2 overall and have outscored the opponent 13-0 in their two last two games.

The Knights completed all their scoring in the games opening 45 minutes. Lecena opened the floodgate in the 3rd minute when he took a pass from Nikos Kakavitsas (Athens, GR) in the top left of the box and sent the ball across and into the upper corner. Five minutes later Jadiel Bomfim (Nashua) took a throw in from Christian Colem (Nashua) and deposited the ball immediately into the lower right corner to put the Knights up 2-0 less than ten minutes in.

Lucena recorded the hat trick five minutes later when he recorded goals in the 10th and 13th. In the 10th minute he took a pass from Lucas Cantelli (Lowell) and one timed it past the keep and he followed in the 13th minute heading in a corner kick from Colem.

Colem picked up his third assist of the game in the 17th minute as threw the ball in to the right foot of Kakavitsas who sent it past the outstretched keeping into the lower left corner from 25 yards out.

Jonathan Lopes (Nashua) picked up his first goal of the season as the defender picked up a loose ball at midfield and raced down the right side before depositing the ball into the lower left corner.

Lucena capped off his four-goal performance in the 41st minute with a scrum in the box and knocked the ball past the keeper. Reda Qesmi (Methuen) capped the scoring the 43rd taking a long ball down the left side and sent it over the keeper's head to result in an 8-0 halftime score.

Will Paganini (Derry, NH) picked up his second consecutive clean sheet as he made two saves in the contest.

NECC outshot NHTI 27-5 and took eight corner kick to just two for the Lynx.

The Knights will hit the road for three straight games beginning on Saturday when they travel to Community College of Rhode Island in Lincoln for a non-conference matchup at 2:00pm. NECC will return home on September 24th to kick off league play when they host Holyoke Community College at 7:00pm at Whittier Tech

Jadiel

Bomfim