Box Score AMHERST, Mass. – The Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team was unable to neutralize Amherst College's strengths and was eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament by a score of 4-2 Sunday afternoon at Hitchcock Field.
Ranked No. 8 in New England, Eastern (15-6-1) allowed more than two goals in a match for the first time this year and had a four-game winning streak snapped. Ranked No. 1 in New England and No. 4 nationally, Amherst (16-1-2) advances to the Round of 16 after setting a program record for wins in a season
"We knew that they were going to be dangerous on re-starts and throw-ins," noted fifth-year Eastern head coach Greg DeVito. "With their size advantage, , we knew that we were going to need to win all second balls, and we weren't able to win all second balls."
Featuring eight players standing between 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-5, Amherst scored its first three goals on serves into the box that were re-directed by headers and knocked into the goal when the Warriors were unable to clear the ball out of the box.
Eastern was able to match an early Amherst goal when junior Carl Stensland (Storrs) answered with his fifth goal of the season five minutes after the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute.
After Amherst scored twice in ten minutes to take a 3-1 halftime lead, the Warriors came out strong in the second half and nearly scored twice in the opening minutes. Amherst senior keeper Leonard Kovacs, not called upon for a save in the first half, made his first save when he batted down a close, quick header taken by sophomore Luke Capezzone (Colchester) on junior Cory Tobler's (Portland) cross from the left. Following an Eastern corner kick, juniors Matt Furman (Montville) and Jon DeCasanova (Glastonbury) unloaded shots in the box but neither was able to get through traffic. Minutes later, Tobler uncorked a quick shot off a pass from DeCasanova, but Kovacs made a diving, one-handed save at the right post.
In the 62nd minute, an unmarked sophomore Jae Heo found room in the middle of the box and sent the ball inside the left post to make it 4-1 to ice the win. DeCasanova's second goal of the year four minutes later rounded out the scoring.
Eight Amherst players contributed a point, with Heo assisting on the first goal, and scoring the tie-breaking goal and his team's fourth goal.
Eastern senior keeper Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ) made four saves and Kovacs three. Eastern had took ten of its 11 shots in the second half. With Eastern trailing by two goals 11 minutes into the second half, Appel kept that margin intact when he leaped to bat junior Spencer Noon's open 16-yard one-timer over the crossbar
