LYNDON, Vt. (October 26, 2019) – The SUNY Delhi men's soccer team parlayed a one-goal halftime lead with four more in the second half on their way to a 5-0 shutout North Atlantic Conference (NAC) win at Northern Vermont Lyndon. The playoff-bound Broncos wrap the regular season with a 9-7 overall record and 6-2 conference record. They now await their fate for the upcoming NAC Tournament.
Delhi overwhelmed Lyndon, 34-5, in total shots, but a Juan Velez score just 3:25 into the contest, assisted by Darion Arango, was the lone goal of the opening half as the Broncos took a 1-0 lead at the break. The offense got rolling in the second half, with John Cabrera netting a pair of scores to put Delhi up, 3-0, at 64:31, thanks to assists from Carlos Del Monte and Emmanuel Gonzalez, respectively. Team-leading scorer Brody Rettle got the next score at 73:08, while Gonzalez accounted for the final tally just moments later at 74:09 on a feed from Arango.
Delhi entered Saturday standing in second place in the NAC standings, behind undefeated Thomas (7-0 NAC). Head coach Brian Mitko's team will need to wait until Wednesday's conference match between Thomas and third-place Maine Maritime to determine their seed for the league tournament. A Thomas win Wednesday will give Delhi the two seed and a first-round bye, as they will head to Thomas for the NAC semifinals Saturday, Nov. 9. A MMA win or tie will give the Broncos the three seed and will host a quarterfinals contest next weekend.
Velez's opening score puts him at a team-best 11 goals this season, ranking second in the conference. Rettle's goal gives him a team-leading 23 points on ten goals and three assists. Cabrera's pair of scores puts him third on Delhi with nine points and four goals. Goalkeepers Corey O'Toole and Noah Blake split halves in goal, with each collecting a save. The starting O'Toole earned the victory to improve to 8-6 on the season.
Coach Mitko's men overcame many obstacles in their first regular season as members of the NAC. After scoring just two total goals in their first three contests to stand at 0-3, the Broncos bounced back to win their next four games with a combined 11 goals, including a pair of conference victories over NVU Johnson and Maine Maritime. Whie this was followed by another three-game losing streak, Delhi remained resilient, ending the season winning five of its last six that featured four league wins.
