LATROBE, Pa. (Sept. 1) – The Saint Vincent men's soccer team opened the 2022 season with an impressive 2-0 win over visiting Wilson College in a non-conference matchup at UPMC Field.
 
The victory marks the first at Saint Vincent for new head coach Matt Davis, while it is just the third opening-day win for the Bearcat men in 13 seasons.
 
The Bearcats possessed the ball for large swaths of time throughout the match, ending with a 16-9 advantage in shots and a 9-5 margin in corner kicks.
 
SVC scored its first goal of the season at the midpoint of the first half. Andres Mateos Carrion sent a blast on goal from 15 yards out. Wilson keeper Vincent Natale made the initial save, but the long rebound went right to the foot of Joel Quiroz Mansilla, who blasted it home to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead with 22:40 left until the intermission.
 
The Bearcats continued to put pressure on the Wilson back line, putting forth four more shots and taking a pair of corner kicks over the final 10 minutes of the opening frame, but were unable to add any insurance before the break and the lead remained at one goal.
 
Saint Vincent kept up the pressure throughout the second half, adding an insurance tally in the 72nd minute when David Rahaman accepted a perfect through ball in stride in traffic from Mansilla and buried it to make it 2-0.
 
The Phoenix looked to mount a late rally and strung together a few lengthy possessions over the final seven minutes of regulation but Saint Vincent's defense held strong to seal the two-goal victory.
 
Making his career debut, SVC goalkeeper Kameron Rock stopped all three shots that he faced to earn his first career shutout.
 
While Rahaman and Mansilla were the goal scorers, SVC received a balanced offensive effort, with nine different players taking at least one shot and four taking at least two.
 
The Bearcats will have a three-day respite before returning to action on Labor Day, when they travel to crosstown rival Pitt-Greensburg for a noon matinee.