Strong Second Half Spurs JWU Past MSoccer

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Johnson & Wales University used four second-half goals to pull away for a 6-1 victory over Mitchell College on Wednesday afternoon in non-conference men's soccer action at Alumni Field.

Brandon Davidson finished with two goals and an assist while Scott Lopez added a pair of scores to lead the Wildcats (4-0-0 overall). Drew Lightfoot and Dustin Hughes also tallied goals for JWU while Mitchell's lone goal came from junior Taylor Surette.

JWU got on the board in the 32nd minute when Lopez unloaded a shot that deflected off a defender and still found the back of the net. Davidson, who assisted on the Lopez marker, made the margin 2-0 only minutes later. He found himself on the receiving end of a long ball from Xavier Carty and one-timed it home.

Trailing 2-0 at the break, Mitchell regrouped and cut the deficit in half in the 54th minute on a header by Surette. Senior Zachary Simmons set up the play with a lofted ball from the midfield stripe that Surette plucked out of the air from 15 yards out for his first goal of the season.

The Mariners nearly tied the game in the 58th minute on another header—this time by junior Jordan Derosier—but the shot went wide of the far post. The Wildcats then countered with a pair of scores over a two-minute span to take back control. Both scores came on headers, with Lightfoot finishing off a flick pass from Carty in the 59th minute and Lopez capping a throw in from Kyle Metz in the 61st.

JWU added two goals in the final three minutes to complete the scoring. Hughes stole a ball away from the Mitchell defense and dribbled in for a left-footed score in the 88th minute. Davidson then connected on his second of the match when he cleaned up a deflected ball in front of the net.

Goalkeepers Ryan Dzierawski and Jon Robbins combined to make three saves on the day for the Wildcats. Junior Ramazan Sinani recorded five saves while classmate Chad Harshbarger closed out the match in goal for the Mariners.

Mitchell (0-4-0 overall) will next host Western Connecticut State University on Saturday, September 14 at 2:30 p.m.