NEW LONDON, N.H. - The Colby-Sawyer men's soccer team kicked off their 2025 season with a home opener against the Wentworth Institute of Technology Leopards on Friday morning where they would secure a tie with a historic comeback. 

Rapid Recap:

• The Leopards would strike first in the eighth minute on a goal by Michael Liquori, but the Chargers would respond almost instantly. Junior transfer Damian Moreno (Columbia) would shoot a pass up the field to Junior Kaden Lewis (Lunenburg, Mass.) for his first goal of the season. David Lemus would go on to score the next two goals for the Leopards in the eleventh and twentieth minutes to make it 3-1. Kingston McGee would score another goal for the Leopards, sending the Chargers into halftime down 4-1. 
• The energy shifted in the second half for the Chargers. It would start in the fifty-first minute when Senior Brandon Mejia (West Palm Beach, Fla.) would put the Chargers on the board again to make it 4-2 off a corner kick and assisted by Nick Carrabino (Fair Haven, Vt.) and Matheus Saragosa (Sao Paulo, Brazil). Junior David Herrera (Miami, Fla.) would put the Chargers down one goal after netting his first goal of the season in the sixty-fifth minute off a beautiful bend from about 25 yards out. The Leopards would go on to commit a foul in the box, sending Saragosa up for the penalty kick, and he would net it to complete the 4-1 comeback. After a strong defensive showing from the Chargers, the Leopards would regain the lead on a cross from Carlos Jimenez to Adam Robertson to make it 5-4. In the eighty-sixth minute with one of their last opportunities, the Chargers were granted a corner kick, where Sophomore Colin Riley-Perec would take and bend into the top left to secure the 5-5 tie. 

Inside the Numbers:

• The Chargers would take 12 shots total, while landing 6 on target. Saragosa would lead the way with an assist and goal in the match, while four other Chargers would score one goal each.
• Goalkeepers Yener Bartolon (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Evan Whalen (Barrington, N.H.) would split the responsibilities in net. Bartolon would pick up 3 saves, while Whalen would contribute 2 saves.

Post Game Press:
"There's a lot of pressure on the line but you have to have confidence, believe as a group, and we got the result we wanted" said Saragosa on his penalty kick to make it 4-4. When asked about his game tying corner kick, and team mindset through the game, Riley-Perec said "I tried to get the pressure off my shoulders and focus on the ball and take my time with it." Colin would go on to say "Great work from the team, we were down 4-1, great effot from the team, we needed this today."

Up Next:
The Chargers have a quick turnaround as they will go head to Plymouth tomorrow for a matchup against the Panthers of Plymouth State with a 3PM kickoff.