Young defense leads Warriors to 1-0 shutout victory over host Babson
Head Coach Greg DeVito critiqes the weekend victories.wav (1:55)
WELLESLEY, Mass. - The odd team out when it came time for NCAA tournament selections a year ago, men's soccer made it clear this weekend that it will not be going away any time soon.
At right: Matt Esposito
Sunday, Eastern (2-0) completed a sweep of top New England competition with a 1-0 win over 20-time NCAA tournament qualifier Babson College (1-2) at the Beavers' own Hartwell-Rogers Field, riding a fluky early second-half goal by senior midfielder Chris Bourdeau (Thompson) to the title of the Third Annual Babson College Classic.
On Saturday, the Warriors opened their season with a 3-1 victory over MIT, the Engineers only avoiding a shuout by scoring with 18 seconds left against an Eastern reserve keeper.
Last year, Babson and MIT reached the championship game of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference playoffs, the Beavers winning the match and securing the automatic bid awarded the conference champion. MIT and Clark joined Babson in the NCAA tournament, those two teams receiving at-large bids out of the NEWMAC. Rhode Island College was the only Little East Conference representative to participate in the NCAA tournament, the Anchormen gaining the automatic bid awarded the champion. Eastern was the top seed in the ECAC tournament after being eliminated in the LEC tournament semifinal round.
In last year's final NSCAA Division III New England regular-season poll, Eastern was rated third, Babson tied for fourth, and MIT sixth.
The victory over Babson is the most significant regular-season victory for Eastern in the brief third-year coaching career of Greg DeVito.
Eastern was able to keep Babson off the board despite starting three freshmen defenders and a freshman keeper in backs Kyle Smith (Ledyard), Jon DeCasanova (Glastonbury) and Bradley Fletcher (Middletown) and goalkeeper Jordan Munsell (Waterford). The fourth defender, sophomore Matt Esposito (East Haven), is a midfielder by trade who replaced injured sophomore starter Aaron Smiles (Bedford, MA) in the starting lineup. In all, seven of Eastern's 11 starters in the match were first-year collegiate players (six freshmen and a first-year sophomore transfer).
Seven minutes into the second half, Babson's Eric Anderson - the team's No. 1 scoring threat on the afternoon - knocked a head ball from inside the box over the net. Three minutes later, Eastern countered with the only marker of the match.Eastern came away with the win when Bourdeau's low corner kick with just under ten minutes gone in the second half bounced between Babson defenseman Sean Gleason and keeper Ian Siekman and rolled untouched inside the left post.
Senior forward Nicholas Boretti (Marshfield, MA) set up the winning corner kick with a run through the box, the Beavers needing to knock the ball over the end line to diffuse the threat. Bourdeau, who scored the second goal in Saturday's win, sent the ensuing corner kick from the left flag toward the near post, and Babson's defensive miscommunication produced the only goal.
At left: Maxim Fantl
In his collegiate debut, Munsell recorded the shutout, making four saves. Three of the saves came in the second half, when Babson applied steady pressure over the final 20 minutes. Two of Munsell's diving saves came on head balls, the first occurring midway through the second half and the second with just over four minutes left.
With Eastern leading 1-0 and pressing to add insurance, a goal on a head ball by Eastern senior forward Maxim Fantl (West Hartford) off a cross from Esposito was disallowed with 10:30 left due to an offside violation. Fantl had two goals and an assist in Saturday's win.
Neither club could capitalize on first-half chances. Boretti one-timed a volley over the net on a cross 18 minutes before the break. Four minutes later, he took a feed from freshman midfielder Cory Tobler (Portland) and hit the right post. The hosts had no less than four prime opportunites of their own to break through in the first half. Munsell made a diving stop on one, and the other three were dangerous chances that carried either wide or high of the net.
The meeting between Eastern and 20-time NCAA tournament participant Babson was only the second one ever, the first since the Warriors posted a 1-0 win over the Beavers in the 1969 NAIA New England Regional Tournament in Willimantic for their 14th straight win that season.
Eastern opens its home schedule Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Westfield State College at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.
Eastern Conn. 1, Babson College 0
Eastern Conn. (2-0-0) 0 1 -- 1
Babson College (1-2-0) 0 0 -- 0
Scoring: Chris Bourdeau 54:36.
Shots: E-18, B-20; Saves: E-Jordan Munsell 4, B-Ian Siekman 4.
Corner kicks: E-7, B-8.
