Men's Soccer Falls 2-1 to SJC in NCAA Debut

[Postgame press conference]

MEDFORD, Mass. – The Mitchell College men's soccer team lost 2-1 to Saint Joseph's College (ME) in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Championship on Saturday afternoon at Bello Field.

The Mariners trailed 2-0 before Quinn Outerbridge scored in the 73rd minute to give his team new life. It marked the first goal allowed by the Monks all season, snapping a streak of 19 consecutive shutouts.

With five minutes remaining in regulation, Mitchell put the potential equalizer into the back of the net, only to see it waived off due to an offside call. Saint Joseph's didn't allow another attempt on goal, running down the final minutes to claim its first NCAA win in program history.

Goalkeeper Seth Strader did his best to keep the Mariners in the game, making 10 saves against 12 total shots. He made key stops at various points of the contest, including several sprawling saves that frustrated the SJC offense.

The Monks took a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute on a goal by leading scorer Brett Mattos, who netted his 20th goal of the season off a feed from Cody Elliott. Strader kept the damage to a minimum, however, by making six saves in the half.

Mitchell put just one shot on goal in the opening half, as a long ball from Strader found Andrew Storton open down the middle of the field. With a defender on his shoulder, Storton put a shot on net that was easily scooped up by Blake Mullen.

The Monks made it 2-0 in the 69th minute on a restart following a Mitchell foul just outside the 18 on the left side of the box. Jesse Ramirez put a ball to the near post that Quinn Hewitt flicked on for his third marker of the season.

Trailing 2-0, Mitchell switched up its formation and saw the move produce immediate dividends. Outerbridge moved up from defense to midfield and played up top with Storton and Jose Roman III. The goal came minutes later, as Outerbridge tried to slip a pass into the box for a teammate, only to have it broken up by a SJC defender. He corralled the loose ball and quickly fired a shot on net, tucking the ball into the right corner for his first collegiate score.

The goal was the first allowed by SJC all season. The Monks entered the game with a NCAA record shutout streak and were the only team—men's or women's, levels DI, DII or DIII—that hadn't allowed a goal this year.

Saint Joseph's (19-0-1 overall) remains undefeated and advances to face Tufts University on Sunday, November 12 at 1 p.m. Mitchell ends the season with an overall record of 9-9-1.