CONCORD, N.H. - NHTI Men's Soccer returns to action Thursday evening, traveling to Central Maine Community College for its 2026 Yankee Small College Conference opener. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at CMCC Field in Auburn, Maine.

Thursday will be just the second countable match of the season for the Lynx and their second under interim head coach Jarrod Smith (Watertown, N.Y.). NHTI enters at 0-1 after its originally scheduled Sept. 5 contest at Bristol Community College and Sept. 10 home match against Holyoke Community College were both canceled. Smith was named interim head coach Aug. 24 before making his regular-season debut against Northern Essex Community College on Sept. 8.

The Lynx fell 8-1 at Nothern Essex in the opener but generated 18 shots in their first countable action of the year. Delvaughn Daley (Randolph, Mass.) scored NHTI's first goal of the season shortly after halftime and put all five of his shot attempts on goal. Kombozi Amosi (Manchester, N.H.)  and Japhari Ramadhani (Manchester, N.H.) added three shots apiece, while Ben Taylor (Haverhill, N.H.) and Stephen Abair (Milford, N.H.) each recorded two.

Daniel Sherkanowski (Bristol, N.H.), a dual-sport athlete also playing for NHTI Baseball, played the full 90 minutes in goal for NHTI and made five saves. Thursday will be the Lynx's first game in nine days following the Northern Essex matchup.

Central Maine enters Thursday at 2-5 overall but owns a 2-0 mark in YSCC play. The Mustangs opened their conference schedule with consecutive wins, defeating Vermont State University Randolph 3-0 on Sept. 5 before earning an 8-1 victory over the University of Maine Maritime Academy and 3-1 to the University of Maine at Fort Kent.

The Mustangs have scored 15 goals through seven countable matches, with much of the production coming from three players. Daniel Semple leads Central Maine with six goals and 14 points in five appearances while Yoan Thériault has scored four times. Matthew Greco has added three goals and five assists for 11 points. Together, the trio has accounted for 13 of Central Maine's 15 goals.

Central Maine has used three goalkeepers this season. Harrison Garcia has received the most time in net, starting four matches and recording 21 saves with a .677 save percentage and 2.86 goals-against average. Wyatt Blier has made two starts and owns the Mustangs' lone shutout, while David Kimba has made one start.

Thursday will mark the 13th meeting between NHTI and Central Maine since the series began in 2016. The Lynx hold a 3-8-1 record against the Mustangs, winning each of the first three meetings from 2016-18. NHTI and CMCC played to a 2-2 double-overtime draw in their first meeting of 2019 before the Mustangs began their current eight-game winning streak in the series. NHTI's most recent victorycame Sept. 22, 2018, when the Lynx earned a 2-0 win in Auburn.

Kickoff between the Lynx and Mustangs is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at CMCC Field.

Watch live on CMCC's YouTube channel.