Men's Soccer Downs Rhode Island College in Season Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rhode Island College (0-2 overall) | 0 | 2 | 2 |
|
Elms (1-0 overall) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)
MAHWAH, N.J. – The Elms College men's soccer squad opened the 2015 season on the right foot as the Blazers edged Rhode Island College, 3-2, in non-conference play at the 2015 President's Cup, hosted by Ramapo College, Saturday evening. The Blazers improve to 1-0 overall, while the Anchormen dropped to 0-2 on the year. With the win, Elms Head Coach Ben Masse collects his first career collegiate coaching victory.
After nearly 40 minutes of scoreless action, the Blazers finally broke through as sophomore Donald Whittle (Somers, Conn.) took a feed from senior Connor O'Grady (Somers, Conn.), and placed a shot past RIC sophomore goalkeeper Chris Moura (Rumford, R.I.), to put Elms up 1-0. The Blazers maintained their advantage heading into the intermission.
Just over three minutes into the second half, the Anchormen evened the score as junior Dan Monteiro (Pawtucket, R.I.) curled a free kick into the back of the net from 20 yards out, making it a 1-1 game early in the second frame. The squads battled back-and-forth to gain an advantage over the next 25 minutes until Elms freshman Shaquille Robinson (New York, N.Y.) netted his first collegiate goal, firing home a pass from sophomore C.J. Dabkowski (Bristol, Conn.), regaining a 2-1 lead for the Blazers. Whittle delivered the back-breaking goal for Elms in the 84th minute with an unassisted tally to put the Blazers up 3-1. Rhode Island College added a late goal from sophomore Komla Dogby (Providence, R.I.) in the final minute of play, as Elms registered the 3-2 victory.
The Anchormen outshot the Blazers, 14-12, during the contest. Elms junior Christian Kostka (Oxford, Conn.) started in goal for the Blazers, making two saves before senior Nicholas Pennant (1-0, St. Andrew, Jamaica) finished up the match with three saves. Moura stopped three shots for the Rhode Island College.
The Blazers will return to the pitch against host Ramapo Sunday afternoon in the President's Cup Championship game. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
ELMS SOCCER
