Box Score
MANSFIELD, Conn. – The Western Connecticut State University men's soccer team accumulated 25 shots in the match but needed only its first two to score twice in the first ten minutes and remain undefeated in the Little East Conference with its 2-0 victory over Eastern Connecticut State University Wednesday afternoon at Rick McCarthy Field.
 
Last year's Little East playoff champion, WestConn (11-3-2, 5-0-0 LEC) remains the only unbeaten, untied team in the conference after winnings its fifth straight match overall and sending Eastern (2-7-3, 0-4-1 LEC) to its third home loss against a win and a tie. The Wolves and Rhode Island College each have 15 points in the conference, but the Anchormen have played one more conference contest.
 
The Warriors were coming off last Wednesday's thrilling 3-2 non-conference victory over visiting Fisher College.
 
Ranked seventh in the USC Region I, WestConn scored both of its goals in a span of 4:37 early in the match, getting senior Maximus Vigo's team-leading eighth of the season in the sixth minute, and making it 2-0 in the 10^th minute when junior Ian Mounts punched in his sixth of the year. Vigo shares the LEC lead in goals, with Mounts sharing third place. The Wolves lead the conference in goals, scoring margin and shots.
 
Vigo's game-winning goal followed an Eastern corner kick when the Wolves gained possession in the Eastern offensive third. Mounts won the ball and sent it on the right wing to Vigo, who rifled a low shot inside the left post with 5:08 gone. Not long after  Mounts connected on a long drive off a feed from senior defender George Cortes, who gained a share of the team lead with his fifth assist.
 
WestConn made a bid to open up a three-goal lead 14 minutes into play, but after Eastern senior keeper Nathan Yeich (Willington) saved junior Romario Bunjaj's shot, Mounts send the rebound over the crossbar from the right side.
 
The first two of Eastern's three first-half shots came in a span of five minutes. The best opportunity came when senior Logan Brennan (Farmington) and sent a ball to junior Anton Smith (Plymouth, NH) on the right side. Smith's cross from the right reached first-year player Eliot Melgar (Clinton) – who had two goals and an assist against Fisher -- in the box but the forward one-timed it over the crossbar.
 
Second-half scoring bids by WestConn sophomore Jeffrey Norales off an 18-yard free kick less two minutes into the period, and by freshman Nickolas Santana three minutes later – both shots carrying wide of the net – kept the margin at two goals. Down 2-0, Eastern couldn't cut into the deficit when  junior Caiden Hettrick-Rivera (Portland) ripped an 18-yard over the crossbar on the Warriors first shot of the half with nine minutes gone.
 
WestConn junior keeper Zachary Benson remained undefeated (8-0-1) by posting his first full shutout of the year, making two saves. Yeich stopped six shots.
 
The match was the first of the year for senior co-captain and defender Ryan Toomey (Willington), who saw 36 minutes off the bench after entering the match with 13:44 left in the first half. Walter Scudder (Unionville), the team's other senior captain, returned to the starting lineup and played all 90 minutes after missing three starts.
 
Eastern hosts Plymouth State University (5-7-2, 2-3-1 LEC Saturday at noon. The Panthers have lost three of their last four (all by a goal) and are coming off Wednesday's 2-1 conference home loss to Keene State College. The Owls broke a tie by scoring the winner on the second goal of the match by Cristian Correa with 11 minutes left.