Men’s Soccer Silenced by Lesley in Non-Conference Tilt
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mitchell (2-5-3, 2-4-2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Lesley (2-9-0, 1-3) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
LEXINGTON, Mass. The Mitchell College men's soccer team suffered their first shutout of the season on Wednesday night, dropping a non-conference match to Lesley University 1-0 at Minuteman Tech.
Making his collegiate debut, freshman goalkeeper Steven Swiderski (Hooksett, N.H.) held the Lynx scoreless during the first half of play, yet the Mariners were unable to sneak anything past Lesley keeper Josiah Williams. The score remained 0-0 until just over 10 minutes passed in the second half and the Lynx were awarded a free kick on a Mitchell foul. Osmyn Atwood then lined up for the free kick and decided to keep the ball on the ground, sending it underneath the wall of jumping Mariner defenders and at Swiderski, who blocked the shot but was unable to hang onto the ball. Charging hard off the rebound, Adrian Esparragoza was able to beat the charging Mitchell keeper and boot the ball into the back of the net for what proved to be the game-winning goal.
The Mariners, who outshot Lesley 15-13, had one final opportunity to tie the game in the 85th minute, when freshman Nathan Da Cruz (Goiânia, Brazil) found a lane, broke free, and booted a deep shot in stride, but it landed right in the hands of the Lesley keeper. Mitchell also bested Lesley with eight shots on goal to their five, and held a 6-1 edge in corner kick opportunities.
Swiderski finished with four saves against eight shots in his first game for the Mariners. Sophomore Snadooby Robert (New London, Conn.) and freshman Gianmarco Delacruz (East Hartford, Conn.) each registered two shots on goal to lead Mitchell, who have now dropped a season-high three games in a row.
Josiah Williams posted his first clean sheet of the season for Lesley, recording six saves.
The Mariners (2-5-3, 2-4-2 GNAC) will look to get back on track when they return to conference action on Saturday, October 7th, with a road trip to New England College. The Lynx (2-9, 1-3 NAC) are scheduled to play next on Saturday, October 7th, when they host Eastern Nazarne College.