Men's Soccer Blanked by Conn College
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Connecticut Col. (1-0-0) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
|
Mitchell (1-1-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's soccer team scored a goal in each half en route to a 2-0 victory over Mitchell College on Wednesday afternoon at Alumni Field.
Matthew Bitchell put the Camels on the board in the 26th minute of their season opener while Kevin O'Brien followed suit in the 76th to power the offense. Goalkeeper Austin DaCunha turned away one shot to secure the shutout.
The Mariners came out strong to start the contest and pushed the pace over the first 10 minutes. Senior Frank Williams got off a pair of clean looks in the opening stages and even had a shot deflect off the crossbar in the ninth minute. A minute later, senior goalkeeper Ramazan Sinani came off his line to snuff out a shot by Marino Patrk and keep the game scoreless.
Conn College picked up its play midway through the half and finally broke through when Pat Devlin dribbled down the right side and slipped a pass to Bitchell for an open look at the goal. Bitchell deposited a low shot between the keeper and the near post for his first tally of the season.
The Camels added the insurance goal with just over 14 minutes remaining in the contest. Charlie Overton fired a long pass down the middle of the field that found O'Brien in space. He had plenty of time to close in on the Mitchell goal for a one-one-one attempt against the keeper, and although Sinani did his best to get a piece of the shot, O'Brien would not be denied his first marker of the year.
Conn College held a 23-4 advantage in shots. Sinani finished with seven saves before leaving the contest in the 79th minute, as freshman Anthony Drake made his collegiate debut and played the final 11:14 in goal.
Mitchell (1-1-0 overall) will next host Mt. St. Vincent on Saturday, September 6 at 3 p.m. Conn College (1-0-0 overall) returns to action at home against UMass Dartmouth on Sunday, September 7 at 1:30 p.m.
