BOSTON – Suffolk men's soccer used goals from Mohamed Mehaya and Dylan Trachtenberg to top Hartford, 2-0, in its Conference of New England 2025 debut Saturday night at Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium.

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 2 | Hartford 0
RECORDS: Suffolk (2-1-2, 1-0-0 CNE) | Hartford (2-1-1, 0-1-0 CNE)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Suffolk opened the scoring in the 34th minute on a counterattack triggered from a Hartford corner. Christian Gardner found just enough space to thread a perfectly timed ball between the Hawks' centerbacks, allowing Mehaya to slot it home for the 1-0 lead.
• The Rams' defense held strong early in the second half, with Emiliano Esquer coming up big to deny Austin Murawski on a dangerous fast-break chance.
• Mehaya almost added a second tally in the 57th minute, but his effort from inside the box drifted just wide of the net.
• In the 75th minute, Ford Lee's chipped attempt brushed the left post, keeping Hartford within striking distance.
• Hartford threatened in the 81st, but goalkeeper Nathan Harlow reacted quickly to turn aside Brio Aslan's shot from the edge of the box.
• Suffolk put the result beyond doubt in the 86th minute, when Trachtenberg won a midfield tackle, surged forward, and saw his shot deflect off a defender and into the net for the Rams' insurance goal.

KEEPING UP WITH THE KEEPERS

• Harlow made four saves in his first shutout win of the campaign.
• James Lunn stopped two shots for the Hawks.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Mehaya and Trachtenberg were responsible for Suffolk's strikes with one each. 
• Gardner logged the lone assist of the contest. 
• Suffolk held a 15-9 advantage in shots and a 6-4 edge in shots on goal.
• Hartford led in corners, 7-3.
• The matchup was physical, with both teams combining for 31 fouls.
• Trachtenberg led Suffolk with five shots and three shots on target.

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk has never lost a CNE opener, improving to 3-0-2 in such contests since joining the league in 2021.
• The Rams earned their first-ever CNE road opener victory in program history.
• Three of Suffolk's five CNE openers have been decided via shutout: the inaugural 1-0 win over Gordon (2021), a 4-0 clean sheet against Wentworth (2023), and tonight's 2-0 victory at Hartford.
• Suffolk and Hartford met for the third time in program history.
• The Rams maintain a perfect 3-0-0 series record and 2-0-0 mark in road matchups versus the Hawks.
• Suffolk has shutout Hartford in back-to-back battles. Those are the only two cleansheets in the series. 
• The blue-and-gold has outscored the Hawks, 6-1, all-time.
• Mehaya has scored in back-to-back games. His second tally also marks his second collegiate marker.
• Gardner recorded his second assist of the season.
• Trachtenberg notched his first goal of the year.
• Harlow picked up his 10th career shutout in the victory, first of the season.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk returns to non-conference play Wednesday, Sept. 17, when it hosts Mass. Maritime at East Boston Memorial Park's James A. Sartori Stadium at 7 p.m.