GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. — The Pratt Institute men's soccer team opened Atlantic East Conference play with a 1-0 road victory over Gwynedd Mercy University on Saturday afternoon at the Outdoor Athletic Complex.

Junior Alex Abbruzzese (Staten Island, N.Y.) broke a scoreless tie in the 65th minute, and sophomore goalkeeper Hayden Pettit (Houston, Texas) turned aside all six shots on target he faced to lead Pratt (2-5-1, 1-0) past Gwynedd Mercy (1-9-1, 0-1).

After battling through a scoreless opening half, the Cannoneers found the breakthrough at the 64:06 mark off a set piece. Sophomore forward Lawton Tucker-Ortega (Denver, Colo.) served a ball into the box from 40 yards out that was headed by Abbruzzese at the top of the six for his first goal of the season and first of his collegiate career. 

Gwynedd Mercy controlled possession early, out-shooting the black-and-gold 12-2 in the first half, but Pettit kept the match level with three first-half stops.

The Griffins pushed for an equalizer in the second half, but Pettit denied Luke O'Donnell in the 56th minute and turned away a header from Ryan Polumbo in the 63rd minute just before Abbruzzese's decisive strike. Pettit added his final save in the 71st minute on a shot by Gunnar Christensen to preserve the lead.

First-year midfielder Dylan Knott (Albany, Calif.) and rookie Lucca Novi (The Woodlands, Texas) each registered a shot on goal for Pratt, while senior forward Griffin Benkovszky (Ashland, Va.) added a shot attempt.

Pettit completed the full 90 minutes in net, earning his second clean sheet and second victory of the season.

O'Donnell paced the Griffins with seven shots, two on goal, while Cody Sell recorded two saves in goal for the hosts. Gwynedd Mercy held a 19-6 advantage in total shots, a 6-3 edge in shots on goal and an 8-1 margin in corner kicks. 

Pratt returns home on Wednesday, October 7, hosting Saint Elizabeth University in an Atlantic East match at 7 p.m. at Randall's Island Field 10.