MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Against Wesleyan University in men's soccer, 1-0 decisions have traditionally favored Eastern Connecticut State University.
Tuesday at Jackson Field on the Wesleyan campus was no exception.
Despite being outshot and out-cornered by a lopsided margin, Eastern (6-5-2) won for the fourth time in the five matches decided by a 1-0 score against Wesleyan (5-4-4) in the all-time series.
Tuesday, Little East Conference Rookie-of-the-Week
Richard MacDaniel (Stratford) scored his first career game-winning goal ten minutes into the second half and junior keeper
Nathan Yeich (Willington) made eight saves over the final 45 minutes as the Warriors improved to 4-1-1 in their last six matches, with three regular-season games remaining.
MacDaniel had gone eight scoreless games since scoring his first goal in the season-opener Sept. 1, before breaking through for his second goal in Saturday's 5-1 Little East win at Plymouth State University. Against Wesleyan, MacDaniel's shot was one of only three credited in the game to Eastern, which allowed 23 shots and decisively lost the corner kick battle, 17-2.
In his seventh appearance this year, Yeich earned his first win after two ties and a loss as he combined with senior
Dylan Pallanck (Willington) on the team's third shutout of the year (second in four games). Making his tenth start, Pallanck was credited with three saves during a scoreless first half. Until Tuesday, Yeich's most recent victory had come over a year ago in a 10-0 home win over Pratt Institute last Oct. 15 when he won eight of ten decisions on the season.
Playing its fifth game decided by a 1-0 score this year, Wesleyan lost for the first time and was coming off consecutive 1-0 road wins against New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) opponents Bates College and Williams College. In its most recent home match ten days ago, Wesleyan had tied No. 22-ranked Amherst College in a match which saw the visitors salvage a point by scoring the equalizer with 21 seconds left.
The win against Wesleyan at Middletown was Eastern's fifth against four losses and a tie since 1977.
Eastern hosts the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Saturday in a conference game and entertains Massachusetts College Oct. 24 in a makeup non-conference game before closing out the regular season against the University of Massachusetts Boston a conference contest.
