CAMBRIDGE, MA – Lesley University topped visiting Emmanuel College, 2-0, Thursday night in non-conference men's soccer play.
Ari Sinanis' (Guilford, CT/Guilford) New England Collegiate Conference-leading sixth assist tied the Lesley all-time points record moments after Jonathan Jones Takano inserted the game-winner in the 23rd minute.
Lesley missed a quality opportunity in the 21st minute, when recently inserted Makenzie Lukas (Reno, NV/Reno) was left alone on a breakaway but pulled his attempt wide outside the left post. The junior made up for his misnomer moments later, connecting to Jones Takano (Tokyo, Japan/Bunker Hill CC) on a pass upfield, where the senior converted from under 10 yards inside the right post at 22:12.
Sinanis entered the record books at 30:37, tying former teammate Tyler Reeves with his 81st career point and doing so in familiar fashion. His corner kick from the right corner found the head of teammate Darius Koep, who sent it into the top of the net – the same way the Lynx 4-3 overtime win over Maine-Farmington ended on Sunday – this time upping the Lesley lead to 2-0.
A more uptempo second half in which the Lynx outshot the Saints 8-6 went without either team scoring, and thanks in part to the reserve goalkeeping of Lesley's Chase Donley, 2-0 would be the final.
For the Saints, David Field (Laguna Niguel, CA/St. Margaret's) totaled six of the team's 11 shots, putting four on goal.
Lesley's Nigel Leahy (New Paltz, NY/New Paltz) combined with Donley (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown) on the shutout, Leahy making a pair of first half stops in picking up the win, with Donley making three saves in his college debut.
The Lynx return to play on Monday at 4:00 p.m. in non-league play at Suffolk.