Men's Soccer Beats Becker to Earn NECC Bid
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Becker (3-14-2, 2-6-0 NECC) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Mitchell (5-10-1, 3-5-0 NECC) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's soccer team earned a spot in the upcoming NECC Championship with a 1-0 victory over Becker College on Saturday afternoon in the regular season finale for each squad at Alumni Field.
Mitchell (5-10-1 overall, 3-5-0 NECC) will be the sixth seed in next week's conference tournament, the winner of which will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. All pairings and game times will be announced by the NECC following the completion of all league contests.
Neither team could score in a first half that was played under a constant, heavy rain. Things didn't get much better in the second half in regard to the weather, as the rain turned to snow and made the muddy pitch even more difficult to navigate.
Mitchell netted the game's only goal in the 57th minute on a shot by junior Michael Berthiaume. Senior James Gleason set the play up by dribbling to his right at the top of the box and flicking a pass backward with his heel. Berthiaume lined up the pass and drilled a shot into the bottom left corner of the goal for his second tally of the year.
Play became less tactical as the game wore on, and neither side was able to take advantage of the slick surface. The Mariners outshot the Hawks 18-4 in the second half and had two shots hit the post in the final 30 minutes. Senior goalkeeper Kevin Woodford finished with three saves for Mitchell.
Despite giving up the lone goal, Becker keeper Tim McDonald had a strong game and kept the Hawks in the game with 13 saves against 29 total shots. Becker ended the regular season with an overall record of 3-14-2 (2-6-0 NECC).
Prior to the game, Mitchell honored seven seniors -- Tommy Derosier, Gleason, Dustin Huguenin, Marcelo Fereira, Ricardo Mclean, John Patterson and Woodford -- who were playing in the final home game of their careers.
The 2011 NECC Championship is slated to begin with quarterfinal games on Wednesday, November 2. The semifinals will be held on November 4 and the title game on November 6. All games will be played at the site of the highest seed. A complete schedule and pairings will be announced by the conference after the completion of all league contests.
