Men's Soccer Knocked Out of NECC Championship in Final Minute
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Regis (Mass.) (9-10-0) | 2 | 1 | 3 |
|
Mitchell (9-10-1) | 2 | 0 | 2 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – A last-minute goal from Chandler Neiswanger gave fifth-seeded Regis College a 3-2 victory over fourth-seeded Mitchell College in the first round of the 2014 New England Collegiate Conference Championship on Wednesday afternoon at Alumni Field.
Neiswanger took a pass from Dillon Lanctot and netted the game winner with just 25 seconds remaining in regulation. The Pride had gained possession in Mitchell territory when Lanctot set up Neiswanger from the left side, and the rookie forward blasted a shot into the top-right corner of the net for his second career goal.
Regis fell behind twice in the first half but got equalizing goals from both Lanctot and Renato Rosas to make it a 2-2 game at the break. The Pride then outshot the Mariners 8-5 in the second half before netting the winner in the 90th minute.
Mitchell got out to a good start when Jason Kirby, who recently returned to action after missing the majority of the season with an injury, scored in the opening minute of the contest. The Mariners centered a ball into the box from the right side of the field, and Frank Williams contested Regis keeper Manny Calderon for a shot. The ball squirted free when the two players met up, and the trailing Kirby picked up the loose ball and scored into an open net. The goal, his first of the season, came just 50 seconds into the game.
Regis answered nearly 10 minutes later when Lanctot took a cross from Don Gomez and beat Mitchell goalkeeper Ramazan Sinani for his fourth goal of the season. Gomez centered the ball from the right side and found Lanctot on the far side for a clean look.
Mitchell pulled ahead 2-1 in the 21st minute when Jordan Derosier banged home his fifth goal of the season. The play started from 40 yards out when Taylor Surette served a free kick into the box. The ball rattled around in front of the goal for a few moments before Derosier finally got a good strike on it and scored from five yards out.
The Pride responded once again in the 32nd minute thanks to a solo effort from Rosas. With the ball on his foot at top of the Mitchell box, he cut back to the right side and lifted a shot over the keeper that caromed off the crossbar and into the goal. The tally was his third of the year and closed out a busy half of scoring.
Both keepers were tested in the second half. Calderon made three of his five saves in the stanza to keep the Mariners off the scoreboard while Sinani also finished with five stops.
Regis (9-10-0) advances to the semifinals of the NECC Championship and will play at top-seeded Elms College on Friday, November 7. The Pride improved to 2-2-0 all-time in NECC Championship play and will be making their second semifinals appearance (2012).
Mitchell ended the season with an overall record of 9-10-1.
