Box Score WILLIMANTIC,C onn. – The Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team remained undefeated in three trips to the Little East Conference playoff final with a 1-0 victory over 2010 champion Keene State College Saturday afternoon at Thomas Nevers Field.
Senior Matt Esposito's (East Haven) penalty kick goal 5:30 into the match was the difference and sent top-seeded Eastern (14-5-1) to the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in the last five years. The post-season tournament appearance will be the fifth straight for Eastern under fifth-year head coach Greg DeVito, now 70-25-11 in his career.
Esposito deposited the game-winning penalty kick under the cross bar after Eastern junior Carl Stensland (Storrs) was knocked off his feet in the penalty box by Keene (11-8-0) senior Kevin Gomes. The goal was the sixth of the season and first in six games for Esposito, who recorded his first game-winning goal since his freshman season in 2008.
Esposito, named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, had a chance to make it 2-0 when he was awarded another penalty kick with 16 minutes left in the first half, but Keene sophomore keeper Malcom Cheney guessed correctly and made the save when he dove to his left. That PK was awarded when Eastern junior Matt Furman (Montville) was hauled down in the box by Keene freshman Nate Banas (Monson, MA).
Two of the three saves by Eastern senior keeper Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ) preserved Eastern's one-goal lead. The first came midway through the first period when the All-Region keeper denied Keene junior Danny Silverman with a dive to his right. With three minutes left in the first, Keene caught Appel away from the goal and was initially prevented from putting a shot on net as the keeper scrambled back to his mark. In the box, freshman Michael Jacques (Tolland) finally fired a shot through traffic but Appel left his feet and hauled in the shot with a dive to his left.
Appel's career-high ninth shutout of the season and 29th of his career extended Eastern's season record in that category to13. The shutout was the second this year against Keene for Appel, who made one save in a 3-0 victory Oct. 8 at Nevers Field.
Cheney made five saves, one coming with 18 minutes left in the first half on a header by Furman off a free kick from senior Aaron Smiles (Bedford, MA). Cheney collected the shot at the right post to keep the margin at one goal.
Another Eastern opportunity went by the boards midway through the second half when sophomore Zach Kice's (Denver, CO) header off a feed from Smiles sailed over the cross bar.
Eastern has not given up a goal in three LEC title games. In its previous title game appearances, Eastern shut out Massachusetts Dartmouth, 1-0, in 2009 at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex and won a penalty-kick shootout over Keene State for its first championship in 2007 at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex. Keene is 6-3 in title game appearances.
In nine LEC regular-season and playoff games this year, Eastern was 8-1 and featured a 21-1 advantage in goals and 95-70 lead in shots. Furman had four of the goals, Stensland and sophomore Mitch Power (Douglas, MA) three each and Kice had five assists. Appel played all but 14 minutes in those game with eight shutouts and a 0.11 goals-against average and .974 save percentage.
Eastern's 14 wins matches its total of a year ago and is two shy of the program record set in 2009. The Warriors have won at least ten matches five straight seasons -- the first time in the program's 51-year history that this has been accomplished.
Eastern will open in the NCAA tournament with either a first-round match Thursday or second-round contest Sunday.
