Host Engineers score early second-half goal to eliminate No. 20 Warriors
Below: Greg DeVito has led Eastern to three post-season tournaments in as many years
TROY, N.Y. - Senior Jabel Prom netted the game's lone goal early in the second half as as
the 13th-ranked Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's soccer team topped 20th-ranked men's soccer, 1-0, Saturday afternoon in an opening game of the NCAA Division III tournament at Renwyck Field.
Ranked third in the NCAA East Region, RPI (14-2-2) advances to the regional final Sunday at 1 p.m. against No. 6 nationally-ranked Williams College, which scored all three of its goals in the second half to shut out Husson University. RPI is advancing to the second round for the first time in 12 years.
Shut out for the first time in over a month, Eastern (16-5-1) had an eight-game winning streak halted and concludes its third season under head coach Greg DeVito having tied the program record for victories in a season. It was the third post-season appearance in as many years for Eastern under DeVito, who led the Warriors to their first NCAA appearance ever in 2007 and to the finals of last year's ECAC New England Division III tournament as the No. 1 seed.
Eastern was ranked ninth in the NCAA New England Region.
Prom redirected a pass from classmate Lincoln Field into the right side-netting in the 49th minute, to give the host Engineers all the offense they needed. Fellow senior Sean Fleury sent in the initial ball from the left flank to Field who fed Prom right in front of the net.
Rensselaer junior goaltender Alex Penny made a number of key saves to preserve the win, including a point-blank shot attempt by Eastern freshman Jon DeCasanova (Glastonbury), in the 63rd minute and a header by freshman reserve keeper Tyler Edwardsen (Ledyard) off a free kick from sophomore Aaron Smiles (Bedford, MA) in the 86th minute.
Field nearly made it a 2-0 game in the 79th minute, but his header off a Tom Kelly corner-kick was knocked down by Eastern sophomore goalie Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ) and cleared. Minutes later, Engineers' junior midfielder Blake Adams got in behind Appel and the Warriors defense, before the ball was tackled off his foot at the last moment.
Eastern senior forward and top scorer Maxim Fantl (West Hartford) was limited to only one shot and was held without a shot on goal for the first time this year. Senior forward Nicholas Boretti (Marshfield, MA) was unable to get off a shot for Eastern, which actually put more shots on net (5-to-4) than the hosts.
Nine Eastern players played all 90 minutes, with only Edwardsen and classmate Nick Miller Northborough, MA) spelling the starters as they combined for 45 minutes of action. Freshman Dan Fish (Marlborough), a starting back all season long, missed the contest due to sickness.
Penny, who has allowed only nine goals this season, finished with five saves to earn his tenth shutout of the season. Appel finished with three in having his personal eight-game winning streak snapped.
Rensselaer Sports Information contributed to this report.
Rensselaer 1, Eastern Conn. 0
Eastern Conn. (16-5-1) 0 0 -- 0
Rensselaer (14-2-2) 0 1 -- 1
Scoring: Jabel Prom (Lincoln Field) 48:39.
Shots: E-9, R-11; Saves: E-Carl Appel 3, R-Alex Penny 5.
Corner kicks: E-5, R-8
