Red Flash Men’s Soccer Hosts New Haven in First-Ever NEC Meeting

Men's Soccer | 10/15/2025 10:02:00 AM

This marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Saint Francis enters the contest unbeaten in NEC play, riding a four-match winning streak and earning two shutouts in its last three games.

The matchup provides another opportunity for the Red Flash to extend their conference success and continue their strong form on home turf in Loretto.

THE WORD ON THE CHARGERS
New Haven enters Thursday's matchup with a 4–4–3 overall record and a 2–1 mark in NEC play. The Chargers are coming off back-to-back losses but remain competitive in the league standings after strong early-season performances, including a 4–2 victory over Howard.

Offensively, New Haven has scored 11 goals through 11 matches, led by Lukian Lawro with three goals and Ryan Kipness with two goals and one assist. Guilherme Meira has also added two goals on a team-high 23 shots, while Andres Lazo has contributed one goal and one assist.

In goal, Alessandro Bizzini has started eight matches and made 33 saves with a .786 save percentage and 1.06 goals-against average. Backup Archie Watts has also impressed, posting an unbeaten 2–0 record with 11 saves, a .917 save percentage, and one shutout.

NEXT TIME OUT
Saint Francis will make a quick turnaround, traveling to Washington, D.C., on Sunday, Oct. 19, to face Howard at 1:00 p.m. at Greene Stadium in NEC action.

The Red Flash will look to continue making their mark on the road in NEC play, having already earned away victories over Le Moyne and Chicago State this season.

LAST TIME OUT
Saint Francis continued its strong start to NEC play with a 2–0 road victory over the Cougars, extending its unbeaten streak to 4–0 in league action.

The Red Flash struck early, with Alex De Nittis converting a penalty in the opening minute — the fastest goal of the season — giving Saint Francis an immediate advantage. The first half remained 1–0 before Álvaro Planas added an insurance goal in the 80th minute, finishing off a team buildup assisted by Thiago Pires.

De Nittis and Planas each notched their second goals of the season, while goalkeeper Diego Garciarena recorded key saves to preserve the shutout, marking the second clean sheet in the Red Flash's last three matches.

NEC HONORS
Jonah Wolf was recognized as an NEC Prime Performer of the Week on Sept. 15. Wolf turned in a standout performance in Saint Francis' 3–3 draw at Loyola Maryland, recording his first career goal and adding an assist.

Álvaro Planas was recognized as an NEC Prime Performer of the Week on Sept. 29. Planas delivered a clutch performance in Saint Francis' 2–1 road win at Le Moyne, recording the game-winning goal and assisting Red Flash's first score to help secure the conference-opening victory.

Freshman forward Thero Mitchell III was named NEC Co-Player of the Week, Rookie of the Week, and a Prime Performer for the week of Oct. 6. Mitchell has been a key offensive presence for the Red Flash, scoring in back-to-back conference matches to help Saint Francis remain unbeaten in league play through three games.

Saint Francis goalkeeper Diego Garciarena was recognized by the NEC for the week of Oct. 13 following his shutout performance in a 2–0 road win over Chicago State. The junior continues to be a steady presence for the Red Flash, anchoring a defense that has delivered multiple strong outings in recent weeks.

PRESEASON POLL
Saint Francis men's soccer was picked fifth in the NEC Preseason Poll. Mercyhurst, which won the NEC regular season, and LIU, which won the NEC Tournament, have been selected as co-preseason favorites after LIU earned three first-place votes and Mercyhurst garnered five. FDU picked up the remaining two top votes, while Le Moyne, Saint Francis, Stonehill, New Haven, Howard, Chicago State, and CCSU rounded out the poll. Mercyhurst and New Haven are both ineligible for the postseason.

INTERNATIONAL FLARE
Head coach Mads Kaiser has nine players that have come from outside the United States: Volkan Celikkol (Turkey), Alex De Nittis(Germany), Harry Elmore (England), Alejandro Escobar (Columbia), Diego Garciarena (Paraguay), Álvaro Planas (Spain), Julian Quiroga(Bolivia), Harvey Skurek (England), Mika Wernicke (Germany) and Jonah Wolf (Germany).

ABOUT THE COACH
Mads Kaiser begins his third season as the Red Flash men's soccer head coach. In his first season, Saint Francis was the only NCAA Division I team to finish undefeated with a 7-0-8 record and won the NEC regular season. Saint Francis is 14-7-10 overall and 10-2-3 in NEC play. The Red Flash hosted an NEC Semifinals Game in his first two years. He was an assistant in Loretto for two seasons prior to his elevation as head coach.

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