Box Score WELLESLEY, Mass. – Within a span of 90 minutes Sunday, the Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team was dealt a double dose of disappointment.
Less than two hours after UMass Boston mathematically eliminated them from Little East Conference regular-season championship contention, the Warriors lost their second 1-0 decision in as many days, this time in a non-conference decision against Babson College at Hartwell-Rogers Field.
Early Sunday afternoon, UMass Boston blanked Plymouth State University, 2-0, to clinch its first-ever LEC regular-season title, dethroning three-time champion Eastern (9-5-3). Hours later, Eastern was shut out by Babson College (12-5-0), ranked No. 6 in New England. The shutout was the third straight this year in the last five days and third straight shutout loss at the hands of Babson, a winner of five of its last six. The loss was the first for Eastern away from home, the Warriors having previously won five and lost three.
Babson junior Tyler Carlos registered the only goal of the match in the 42nd minute, and classmate Stephen Donato made it stand up. It marked the 13th time in 17 contests this year that an Eastern match has ended in a shutout. The Warriors have won seven times and lost five (all five losses coming by a 1-0 score), with one ending in a draw.
The Beavers started fast, generating 11 shots over the opening 20 minutes of play. Sophomore Caleb Long had his strike from 20 yards pushed away by sophomore goalkeeper Greg Walton (Brunswick, ME) – who made all four of his saves in the first half -- in the third minute, and senior Patrick Ellis was denied by Walton on his attempt from the edge of the six-yard box following a restart in the eighth minute.
Eastern's best scoring chance of the match came in the 23rd minute following a foul at the top of the box. Sophomore Nicholas Warren (Southbury) blasted a low shot on the ensuing free kick thru the wall, only to have Donato knock it down and then smother the loose ball in the goal mouth.
Babson finally broke through late in the first half on Carlos' third goal in the last four games. After playing the ball to freshman Justin Kaplan, Carlos received the ball back and drove towards goal, beating Walton with a blast from the edge of the six-yard box.
The best scoring opportunities for both sides came early in the second half. Eastern freshman Xavier Doran (Hebron) missed just wide of the left post in the 47th minute and had another attempted saved by Donato at the 53:13 mark. Carlos had his left-footed strike glance off the outside of the post in the 49th minute for Babson, and senior Justin Laurenzo saw his header off a cross from Ellis sail just over the crossbar in the 54th minute.
Playing without two injured offensive starters, the Warriors mustered just one shot over the final 35 minutes of the match as freshman Bobby Gardner's (Lunenburg, MA) attempt was well wide of the target in the 79th minute.
The Beavers held a 23-7 edge in total shots and attempted 10 of the game's 11 corner kicks.
Eastern hosts Plymouth State Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Little East Conference and regular-season finale. Unofficially, a tie or win against the Panthers gives Eastern the No. 2 seed in the four-team playoffs and a first-round home match Nov. 5. If Plymouth beats Eastern and either visiting Rhode Island College defeats conference champion UMass Boston or Keene State College defeats visiting University of Southern Maine, the Warriors would not qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
Eastern has won eight straight over Plymouth, edging the Panthers, 2-1 in overtime, in the last meeting at Nevers Field in the 2012 LEC semifinals.
