Strong Second Half Leads Coast Guard Past Men's Soccer

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Six different players scored goals for the United States Coast Guard Academy in a 6-0 victory over visiting Mitchell College on Wednesday afternoon in a non-conference men's soccer showdown.

Alex Lane netted the only goal the Bears would need in the first half, and rookie goalkeeper Jake Sorenson made one save to record his first collegiate win and shutout. Coast Guard, which held a 20-1 shot advantage in the contest, added five scores in the second half to cement the final.

Coast Guard (9-1-0 overall) entered the contest ranked fourth in the New England region in the latest NSCAA rankings. The Bears had been ranked 23rd in the country in the D3soccer.com Top 25 poll until a recent loss dropped them from the rankings.

Coast Guard got on the scoreboard in the 17th minute when Lane slipped a pass to John Tarzian for a good look at the goal. Tarzian's shot rocketed off the crossbar, but Lane stuck with the play and finished off the rebound into an open net for his third goal of the season.

Mitchell nearly equalized in the 21st minute when a ball played into the box off a corner kick was put on goal by Ryan Goodwin. His shot to the far post was denied by a diving Sorenson, who deflected the ball wide for another Mitchell corner.

Leading 1-0 at halftime, Coast Guard kept the pressure on the Mitchell defense and continued to create quality scoring chances. Just over six minutes into the second stanza, Austin Read made it 2-0 with his second goal of the season. He finished off a corner kick that rattled around in the Mitchell box, eventually scoring inside the left post from the right side.

Caelan Harshaw netted his first goal of the season in the 65th minute to make it a 3-0 game. The play started with a free kick from outside the Mitchell 18, and Matthew Bogdan fired a shot into a wall of defenders. The ball ricocheted to the far side of the box and was headed home by Harshaw. 

The Bears added three goals in the final 20 minutes of the contest. Tradd Lovern scored in the 72nd minute by finishing off a corner kick delivered by Jake Rath (Kearney, Miss.) with a header inside the far post. Tyler Furry later added an unassisted tally in the 87th minute, followed by an unassisted effort from Ryan Dandan in the 89th. The goals were the first of the season for all three Coast Guard players.

Mitchell goalkeepers Ramazan Sinani, Anthony Drake and Chad Harshbarger all saw time in net. Sinani made four saves in nearly 70 minutes while Drake recorded a pair of stops in 17:30.

Mitchell (4-5-1 overall) will next play at Elms College on Saturday, October 4 at 4 p.m.