Box Score WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -- Freshman Justin Jensen (Wethersfield) scored three goals in his first career start as the No. 13 Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team remained unbeaten and unscored upon with a 4-0 non-conference victory over previously unbeaten Ramapo College of New Jersey Saturday afternoon at Thomas Nevers Field.
Eastern (4-0-0) stretched its unbeaten streak against Ramapo (3-1-1) to eight (6-0-2), posting its fifth shutout win in that stretch.
The Warriors allowed Ramapo to put only four of its eight shots on net as freshman keeper Ryan Murphy (Cromwell) and Brendan West (Plainville) combined on the team's fourth straight shutout on the strength of starting defenders Zane Lombardo (Portland), Cooper D'Ambrosio (Andover), Gavin Neuendorf (Norwich) and Emmanuel Caicedo (Manchester).
Murphy made all four of the duo's saves, working the first 82 minutes and leaving with a 4-0 lead.
Sophomore forward Alexander Fazzino (Bolton) broke a scoreless game in the 38th minute with his second goal of the season and Jensen followed in the second half by scoring on all three of his game shots, giving his four goals on the season. D'Ambrosio assisted on Fazzino's goal, sending a cross from the left side to Fazzino, who ripped a ground ball from the right wing inside the left post that left Ramapo College junior keeper Matthew Hernandez (Fort Lee, NJ) defenseless as he guarded the near post.
After Jensen recorded his first goal of the match in the 53rd minute on Stearns' cross from the right side – a ball which Hernandez fumbled in the box and which Jensen was there to cleaned it up – both teams had several chances to score before the Warriors put the game away with two goals in a span of two minutes.
Before Jensen's second goal made it 3-0 in the , Hernandez made a nice stop on Eastern junior forward Tyler Jones' (Vernon) bid from the left side, and Ramapo junior midfielder Lucas Tasci (Paramus, NJ) and freshman scoring leader Ryan Campbell (Wyckoff, NJ) each had chances to put the Roadrunners on the board. Tasci sent a 20-yarder over the crossbar 16 minutes into the second half and Campbell's bid for his seventh goal of the year was thwarted by Murphy's sliding save seven minutes later.
First-year sophomore midfielder Andres Villar (Mansfield) picked up his first collegiate point on Jensen's second goal of the match and Stearns added his second assist of the match on Jensen's final goal in the 79th minute.
Eastern hosts Roger Williams Sunday at 2 p.m. at Nevers Field.
