Mitchell College Rallies to Down Men's Soccer

Mitchell College Rallies to Down Men's Soccer

WORCESTER, Mass. - The Worcester State men's soccer team squandered a first half lead on Wednesday evening, falling to the Mitchell College Mariners 2-1 in non-conference action at Coughlin Field.

Worcester State falls to 1-3-1 on the season with the loss. The Mariners improve their record to 1-2.

The Lancers took an early 1-0 lead in the 13th minute off senior Ethan Melia's (Shrewsbury, Mass.) first goal of the season. The Lancers pushed the ball upfield, allowing junior Gift Kalombo (Worcester, Mass.) to place a cross right at the front of goalie box, and giving Melia a clear shot at the vacated cage.

The Mariners responded just over two minutes later with a goal of their own. A foul in the box gave Mitchell a penalty kick, and junior defender William Ferguson (Old Lyme, Conn.) made no mistake, tucking the PK into the bottom right corner of the net to level the score.

The Lancers entered the half even with the Mariners at a score of 1-1. Mitchell outshot Worcester State 7-5 in the first 45 minutes.

Freshman defender Daniel Halting (Richmondville, N.Y.) of Mitchell made a spectacular goal-line save to prevent the Lancers from taking the lead early in the second half. After a free kick gave the Lancers what appeared to be an open net, Halting came all the way to backline to stop Worcester State freshman Joe Donnelly's (Dracut, Mass.) shot.

A series of shots at Lancers junior goalkeeper Henri Guilmette (Franklin, Mass.) ended with a goal off the foot of Mitchell sophomore Quinn Outerbridge (Hamilton, Bermuda) that put the Mariners in the lead for good in the 70th minute. Guilmette made impressive back-to-back saves, but could not corral the rebound to prevent Outerbridge's eventual game-winner on the third attempt.

The Lancers had a flurry of chances at the very end of the game, but some athletic stops by the Mariners sealed the game and allowed the clock to run out.

Guilmette finished with four saves for the Lancers in the loss. Mitchell junior Seth Strader (Preston, Conn.) earned his first win of the season recording two saves.

Next up for the Lancers is a road game at MCLA, kicking off at 6 p.m. on Friday night. The Mariners head back home for a matchup against Southern Vermont on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.