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Photo Credit: Steve McLaughlin Photography
Photo Credit: Steve McLaughlin Photography
Posted: Oct 18, 2025

Simpson's Brace Powers Men's Soccer Past Colby-Sawyer, 4-0, Saturday

Video Box Score
Scoring Summary
1st - 33:51 - Nicholas Simpson (Saint Joseph (Conn.))
2nd - 67:49 - Nicholas Simpson (Saint Joseph (Conn.))
2nd - 83:56 - Griffin Neal (Saint Joseph (Conn.))
2nd - 89:45 - Nico Hamzavi (Saint Joseph (Conn.))
Game Leaders
Saint Joseph (Conn.)
G: Nicholas Simpson - 2
A: 2 Players (#21, #27) - 1
Sh: 3 Players (#11, #14, #21) - 3
Sv: Will Slayton - 2
Colby-Sawyer
G: N/A
A: N/A
Sh: 2 Players (#7, #25) - 3
Sv: Evan Thomas - 5
Team Stats
Full stats

NEW LONDON, N.H. – Senior defender Nicholas Simpson (Mansfield, Conn.) notched his first career brace, leading the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team to a 4-0 road victory over Colby-Sawyer College (CSC) in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action Saturday afternoon at Kelsey Field. With the win, the Blue Jays improved to 8-3-2 overall and 7-0-2 in GNAC play, while the Chargers fell to 3-8-3 overall and 2-4-2 in the conference. The victory also clinched a GNAC postseason berth for the Blue Jays.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • After a strong opening half-hour in which both teams traded chances, USJ earned a golden opportunity to open the scoring when senior forward Emmanuel Ofori (East Hartford, Conn.) was brought down in the box in the 34th minute, earning a penalty kick. Simpson stepped up to the spot and calmly sent the keeper the wrong way to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead.

  • The Blue Jays nearly doubled their advantage late in the first half when sophomore midfielder Nico Hamzavi (West Hartford, Conn.) fired just over the bar, but USJ carried its one-goal edge into the break.

  • Simpson struck again from the spot in the 68th minute, confidently slotting home his second penalty kick of the day to extend the lead to 2-0.

  • Sophomore forward Griffin Neal (Waterford, Conn.) made it 3-0 in the 84th minute, pouncing on a rebound inside the six-yard box and finishing from close range.

  • Hamzavi capped the scoring in the 90th minute after picking up the ball near midfield and spotting the CSC goalkeeper off his line. The sophomore unleashed a long-range strike that looped over the keeper and into the back of the net, sealing the 4-0 victory for USJ.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

  • Simpson recorded his first career brace and now has three goals on the season.

  • Neal scored his second goal of 2025, while Hamzavi netted his third.

  • Sophomore goalkeeper Will Slayton (Manchester, Conn.) played the full 90 minutes, making two saves to improve to 7-2-2 and earn his fourth shutout of the season.

  • USJ outshot Colby-Sawyer 16-11, including a 9-2 edge in shots on goal.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays round out a two-game road trip with a stop in Chicopee, Mass., for a GNAC contest against Elms College on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Opening kickoff against the Blazers at Timothy J. Leary Field is set for 7 p.m.

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