Men's Soccer Hands Dean First Loss

FRANKLIN, Mass. -- The Mitchell College men's soccer team knocked Dean College from the ranks of the unbeaten on Saturday afternoon with a 2-0 victory in New England Collegiate Conference action.

The Mariners scored twice in a seven-minute stretch in the second half to seize control. William Ferguson netted the first goal in the 62nd minute and Jose Roman III added an insurance marker in the 69th. Goalkeeper Seth Strader finished with five saves to complete the clean sheet.

After a scoreless first half, things picked up in the second when Dean goalkeeper Nathan Silveira was issued a red card for a slide tackle in the 58th minute. The Bulldogs played a man down the rest of the match and replaced Silveira with back-up keeper Brendan Pacheco. 

The Mariners wasted little time testing Pacheco, as less than four minutes later James Shea sprung Ferguson for his second tally of the season. Mitchell kept applying pressure and soon made it 2-0 as David Hernandez fed Roman for his third score of the year. It marked only the second time this season that the Bulldogs have allowed a pair of goals in a game.

The win elevated Mitchell into a three-way tie for first place in the NECC standings with just a week to play in the regular season. The Mariners are tied at 4-1-0 with both Dean (11-1-2 overall) and Elms College with two games remaining in league action.

Mitchell (5-8-1 overall, 4-1-0 NECC) will next host Lesley University on Wednesday, October 25 at 2:30 p.m.