A late winner
The Hawks opened their season Tuesday night with a 2–1 win at Hawks Stadium, their seventh straight home opener without a loss. A crowd of 3,400, the largest for a season opener since the program's 2024 tournament run, stayed through a 20-minute weather delay at halftime.
Senior midfielder Carlos Mendes put the Hawks ahead in the 31st minute with a curling shot from the edge of the box. The visitors equalized early in the second half from a corner kick. With two minutes left in regulation, first-year forward Jonah Adeyemi collected a long ball from defender Liam O'Connell, beat his defender and scored from 12 yards in his college debut.
Head coach Tomás Aguilar started four first-year players, the most in a season opener in his tenure. He said the young lineup looked nervous early but settled in after the halftime delay.
Silva made two diving saves in the second half to keep the game level before Adeyemi's winner.
By the numbers
- Shots: Hawks 16, visitors 8
- Shots on goal: Hawks 7, visitors 3
- Corner kicks: Hawks 6, visitors 5
- Saves: junior goalkeeper Mateus Silva, 2
Adeyemi became the first Hawks first-year to score a game-winning goal in a season opener since 2015.
Next up
The Hawks play at home again Saturday at 7 p.m. Students get in free with a university ID. Tickets and the full schedule are on the men's soccer page.
The Hawks were picked to finish second in the conference preseason poll. They play four of their first six matches at home.
