American International College

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - Many teams have referred to a well-earned victory against a quality opponent as a "statement win."

The American International College men's soccer team wrote an entire manifesto.

The Yellow Jackets closed out the main day of Homecoming Weekend with a resounding 7-1 win over No. 18 Franklin Pierce University in Northeast 10 Conference play, scoring four times in the first half and three times in the second to shock one of the nation's top squads.

AIC is now 6-3-2 overall and 3-1-0 in the NE10, having won four in a row.

The first goal was a quick counter; Gonçalo Nolasco swiped the ball away along the right side of midfield and turned it back for Max-Paul Busnel. The quick pass allowed the graduate student in behind the defense, and he left-footed it home at 9:19 for his third of the campaign.

The Ravens answered almost immediately. A miscue in the box left Guillermo Rios with an empty net to tap the ball into at 9:47.

Undaunted, AIC's barrage began in earnest. The Yellow Jackets retook the lead less than two minutes after the Franklin Pierce goal with a pass up the left sideline by Dani Sierra Arias to Sandro Alvarez Jimenez, who flared a shot over the goalkeeper and in at 11:49 for his first AIC goal.

A little over 10 minutes later, AIC hit the net again. This time it was Busnel doing the setup, with a give-and-go from Liam Smith to Busnel on the left side, and Smith fired across to the right post for his sixth of the season at 22:10.

Smith's first of the evening was a brilliant shot, but the second was an incredible pass from the left side by Alvarez Jimenez. He lined a perfect strike to the penalty spot and head height, and Smith timed his run perfectly, heading home his seventh of the campaign at 30:30 for a 4-1 AIC edge.

If there was any possible doubt about the outcome of the game, Smith erased it in capping a natural hat trick just shy of the one-hour mark in the match. Busnel again played the feeder, taking advantage of a mishandle on a defensive pass and putting Smith alone for a tap-in for his eighth of the year at 58:55.

Alvarez Jimenez also continued to show off his playmaking acumen, driving down the left side past a defender to the side of the 18-yard box. He spotted Marco Cabrera wide open on the opposite edge, and Cabrera blasted his second of the season back to the left post at 62:37.

AIC put the cherry on top with just under five minutes to go, as a well-placed pass by Paul Espinoza and a perfectly-timed run by Aaron Bruening allowed the latter an open look to flick the ball over the goalkeeper and in for his third of the season at 85:09.

In goal, Javier Solá Martínez made six saves to earn the win. 

Smith's hat trick was AIC's first three-goal showing since Manuel Schwarz scored all three for the Yellow Jackets in a 3-1 win over the University of New Haven on September 22, 2023, helping now-assistant coach Lucas Morales-Fernandez set AIC's goalkeeper wins record.

As a team, the seven goals are the most AIC has scored since a 7-2 win over Caldwell University on September 15, 2021. 

AIC will look to continue its hot streak in a matchup at Pace University at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7.