Men's Soccer Drops NECC Opener at Elms
Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mitchell (0-5-1) | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Elms (1-7) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Elms
Game Statistics | Mitchell | Elms |
---|---|---|
Shots (on goal) | 11 (10) | 22 (12) |
Saves | 9 | 8 |
Fouls | 10 | 7 |
Corner Kicks | 4 | 6 |
Offsides | 1 | 0 |
CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College men's soccer squad registered a 3-2 victory over visiting Mitchell College in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) opener for each squad at Leary Field Saturday evening.
The Blazers improved to 1-7-0 overall (1-0-0 NECC) while the Mariners dropped to 0-5-1 overall (0-1-0 NECC).
Elms broke a scoreless tie in the 22nd minute as Donald Whittle fired home a feed from Scott Labrie to stake the Blazers to a 1-0 lead. Elms suffered a setback at the 24:46 mark as a cross from the Mariners ricocheted off a Blazers' defender and past goalkeeper Tyler Graves to even the match at 1-1. The score remained intact heading into halftime.
The Blazers regained control in the 69th minute as Shaquille Robinson converted off a pass from Colby Macdonald for a 2-1 advantage. Less than a minute later, Whittle raced through the Mariners defense and delivered an unassisted strike past keeper Seth Strader to push the lead to 3-1.
Mitchell chipped away at the Elms cushion with seven minutes remaining as Christian Tomaj placed a shot past Graves to make it a 3-2 game. The goal was the first of his collegiate career.
However, the Blazers kept the Mariners off the board in the final minutes to preserve the 3-2 victory. Elms controlled the shot column, 22-11, during the contest. Graves stopped eight shots in the win, while Strader made a match-high nine saves for Mitchell.
Mitchell next travels to Coast Guard for a non-conference tilt on Wednesday, September 28 at 6:00 p.m.