Box Score
MANSFIELD, Conn. –It was the true definition of unlucky.

Missed opportunities and near-misses were on full display for the Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team, which had nothing to show for a two-to-one advantage in shots but a 2-0 non-conference loss to Clark University Wednesday afternoon at Rick McCarthy Field.
 
The day was best summarized when Clark (3-2-2) took the lead despite being outshot in the opening minutes by 7-2 on a penalty kick goal in the 29^th minute by Lucas Saia, and later added  Ben Siegel's insurance goal midway through the second half to post a second straight victory for first time this year in the first meeting ever between the programs.
 
Junior keeper Diego Marin made five of his eight saves during Eastern's early offensive onslaught over the first ten minutes of the game that kept the game scoreless until Saia was awarded a penalty kick after being tripped up just inside the box while making a run through the left side. Saia converted his team-leading fifth goal of the season with his PK inside the right post that eluded Eastern senior keeper Nathan Yeich (Willington), who guessed wrong, diving the opposite way.
 
Less than two minutes after junior Lex Edwards (Milford) lifted a potential game-tying header over the crossbar off a free kick from junior Niall O'Brien (Guilford), Clark added its insurance goal in the 67^th minute on Siegel's fifth goal of the season.  On that play, Clark won the ball at midfield and played it back. It was then sent to Saia on the left wing, who laid it off to his left to sophomore Evan Thompson (just in the game), who tracked down the ball near the corner flag and left-footed a cross into the box, where Siegel beat a sliding defender and one-timed it from six yards beyond the reach of Yeich and inside the left post.
 
Most of Eastern's (1-3-2) scoring bids were headers off well-placed crossing passes, corner kicks, and free kicks which carried over the crossbar, although Marin leaped three times to get a hand on shots and tip them over the crossbar. The first came on the Warriors' first shot six minutes into play by sophomore Sebastian Kadlof (Clinton), the second with two minutes left in the first half and Eastern trailing by one on a shot by Edwards off a volley from junior Caiden Hettrick-Rivera (Portland) and the third save protected Clark's two-goal lead on a bid by senior Sean Cafferty (Clinton) from in the middle of the box.
 
In the opening minutes, Kadlof, first-year player Eliot Melgar (New York, NY) – whose low drive carried inches to the left of the left post – and O'Brien (free kick) all had opportunities that produced nothing on the scoreboard.
 
Eastern outshot Clark, 18-9, with Yeich making three saves, only one coming in the second half.
 
Eastern opens its Little East Conference season Saturday at the University of Southern Maine at Hannaford Field at 1 p.m.