Manchester, N.H. — Head coach Gary Book and the Adelphi men's soccer team opened up conference play on Saturday afternoon when they took the trip up to Saint Anselm. 

Sam Nolan got the game started off with a shot in the sixth minute but it was saved by the Hawks' goalkeeper. Less than a minute later, Andrea Farinella had to make a save himself but he was able to keep the Saint Anselm attack at bay. 

Much like their last game against Molloy, the Panthers upped the tempo and were able to create scoring chances throughout the half, but could not find the back of the net and went into the half scoreless. 

The story continued after the break with Adelphi getting deep into Saint Anselm's half but its chances either missed the net or were stopped by the goalkeeper. 

Book looked to jolt a spark into the offense when he subbed Ryan Holt back into the game in the 62nd minute. Just eight minutes later, the Panthers were awarded a free kick. The ball was swung into the box where Lucas Nicolaou headed it to the newly entered Holt. The sophomore reared back and unleashed a strike into the bottom right corner of the net to give Adelphi the lead. 

Saint Anselm tried getting itself back into the game but the Adelphi attack was too much and the home team never mustered a true chance at goal as the Cats earned their first conference win of 2025. 

Book and the Panthers will return to the pitch on Tuesday at 12:00 PM when they play host to Gannon on Motamed Field.