Box Score Photos
WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Coming off a sub-par season in 2014, the Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team scored twice less than two minutes apart early in the second half in a 3-0 victory over Babson College in the 2015 opener for both teams Tuesday afternoon at Thomas Nevers Field.
After finishing with nine wins a year ago – its lowest total under ninth-year head coach Greg DeVito – Eastern dominated against Babson, ranked No. 3 in the final New England poll of 2014. The Warriors ended a four-game losing streak at the hands of Babson, the last three coming by shutout. It was Eastern's first home win over the Beavers since 1969.
Three players competing in their first collegiate matches contributed significantly to the win. Sophomore Alexander Fazzino (Bolton), who missed all of last year with injury, and freshman Justin Jensen (Wethersfield) scored goal in their first collegiate matches, and freshman keeper Ryan Murphy (Cromwell) made six saves in his collegiate debut.
Fazzino gave Eastern the lead four minutes before halftime on a feed from sophomore JD Stearns (Bolton) and Jensen and sophomore Xavier Doran (Hebron) scored less than two minutes apart in the early minutes of the second half. Doran converted a penalty kick to make it 3-0 in the 60th minute. It was his second career goal. Neither Fazzino nor Jensen were in the starting lineup.
Stearns set up the first goal when he won the ball and found Fazzino, who put the ball on his left foot and slotted it into the back right corner past Babson senior keeper Stephen Donato (Morganville, NJ). Eastern forced a turnover for its second goal. Applying high pressure, Eastern forced Babson to give up the ball on an interception by Jensen, who shot into the upper left corner of the net. Donato guessed correctly on Doran's penalty kick and got a hand on it, but was unable to keep it out of the net.
Trailing by three goals, Babson applied pressure over the final 25 minutes, getting consecutive corner kicks, but Murphy made two diving saves in the final six minutes to preserve the shutout.
Eastern visits Muhlenberg Saturday at 7 p.m. Muhlenberg was ranked 14th nationally in last year's final poll.
