Box Score
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Sophomore Noah Page (Stafford Springs) and senior Josh Bouchard (Springfield, MA) scored goals 93 seconds apart in the opening 15 minutes on assists from All-Little East Conference junior midfielder Niall O'Brien (Guilford) as the Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team shut out Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts for the sixth time in the last seven meetings, 3-0, Wednesday afternoon at Shewcraft Field.

Eastern (1-1-0) scored on two of its first five shots, with Page gaining his first career goal in the 13^th minute, and Bouchard adding the third of his career moments later. Junior Anton Smith (Plymouth, NH) made it 3-0 midway through the first half with his first career goal after being credited with his first career assist on Bouchard's goal earlier in the period.

Senior Nathan Yeich (Willington) and first-year goalie Jack Harmon (Manasquan, NJ) combined on the shutout in net, with Yeich making four saves before giving way to Harmon over the final 8:29. Harmon did not make a save in his collegiate debut.

The three-goal shutout win is the team's biggest on the road since blanking the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 4-0, in a Little East Conference match on the final day of the 2022 regular season at Dartmouth, MA.

In a scoreless tie with MCLA last year at Thomas Nevers Field, Eastern outshot the Trailblazers, 29-4, but Ryan Taylor and Richard Schineis combined for 11 saves when the teams played to a scoreless draw.

In Wednesday's home-opener, MCLA (0-3-0) was shut out for the second straight match.Taylor made five saves over 90 minutes.

Eastern plays its third straight road match Saturday at the University of Hartford at Al-Marzook Field before opening at home Sept. 10 against the U.S. Coast Guard Academy at Rick McCarthy Field at 7 p.m. Last year's 4-0 win over Hartford at Nevers Field gave current 18^th-year head coach Greg DeVito the 200^th victory of his career. Eastern and USCGA have met 31 times in the all-time series but not since Eastern extended its unbeaten streak against Coast Guard to seven matches (5-0-2) in a 2-1 overtime home win in 2015.

Hartford (4-8-2 in 2023), a member of the Conference of New England since moving from Division I last year, won its opener, 2-1, Tuesday at home against St. Joseph's University Brooklyn. Coast Guard (4-6-8 in 2023) has opened with shutout road wins against Gordon College and Endicott College and is scheduled to visit Mitchell College Thursday and host Worcester State University in its home-opener Saturday prior to visiting