Men's Soccer Tops Regis, Earns Second Seed
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Regis (Mass.) (7-10-0,4-3-0) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
Mitchell (7-7-0,5-2-0) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's soccer team rallied from a goal down to post a 2-1 victory over Regis College on Saturday afternoon on the final day of New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) regular season play.
With the win, the Mariners (7-7-0 overall, 5-2-0 NECC) clinched the second seed and a first-round bye in the upcoming NECC Championship. Regis (7-10-0 overall, 4-3-0 NECC) will be the fourth seed in the tournament and has earned the right to host a first-round game on Wednesday, October 31.
The Pride got off to a great start, scoring on the first shot attempt of the match in the fourth minute. A Mitchell foul yielded a free kick alongside the left sideline from 30 yards out, and Ricardo Argueta played a ball into the box that went untouched and into the far corner of the goal. It was his second tally of the season.
Regis continued to pressure the Mitchell defense and had a golden opportunity to increase the lead in the 23rd minute when a foul by sophomore goalkeeper Ramazan Sinani resulted in a penalty kick. Steve Tavares lined up to take the kick and tried for the left corner, but Sinani sprawled to his right to get a hand on the shot. Tavares then tried to clean up the rebound, but Sinani was there again for the stop to keep the deficit at 1-0.
The Pride continued to control play and nearly scored again in the 43rd minute when Dillon Lanctot drilled a shot off the crossbar. Regis looked like it would take the lead into the halftime intermission, but Mitchell drew a foul in the box with 53 seconds remaining in the stanza and was awarded a penalty kick of its own. Senior Michael Berthiaume then put the ball into the left corner for his fourth goal of the year.
The goal gave the Mariners new life, and the home team nearly took the lead in the final moments of the half. Freshman Erik Littlehales sprung for an open look with three seconds remaining but sent his shot high, and both sides found themselves lamenting missed opportunities with the score tied 1-1 at the break.
Littlehales would redeem himself in the 64th minute when he fought through two defenders to get another one-on-one opportunity with the Regis goalie. This time he kept his shot low and poked it into the back of the net for his first career collegiate goal.
Mitchell didn't sit back with the 2-1 lead and continued to press forward. The Mariners produced better scoring chances in the second half, including a breakaway attempt by sophomore Taylor Surette in the 72nd minute. However, Regis keeper Stefan Todorovic made a great save to keep his team in the contest. Mitchell senior Howie Johnson later hit a shot off the post in the 74th minute, but the Pride cleared the box and continued to hang around.
Regis, which played a man down for the final 8:01, didn't produce a shot on goal in the game's final 25 minutes. Mitchell limited the Pride to just two shots in the second half and held a 13-11 advantage for the match. Todorovic finished with five saves while Sinani recorded three.
Prior to the match, the Mariners honored four seniors who were playing in the final regular season game of their careers. Berthiaume, Johnson, Shawn Thurston and Ayal Gruber are all four-year letterwinners at Mitchell.
Mitchell will have five days off to prepare for the semifinals of the NECC Championship. The Mariners will host the winner of the #3/#6 first-round match-up on Friday, November 2. A complete tournament bracket and schedule will be released by the NECC in the coming days.
