Western Connecticut 2, Worcester State 1
Worcester, MA --- Western Connecticut netted a pair of second-half goals from junior Daniel DaSilva (Danbury, CT) and sophomore Ryan Rose (Bethel, CT) to defeat Worcester State 2-1 this evening at Coughlin Stadium.
The Colonials got things going early with a pair of shots within the first three minutes, but each was scooped up by sophomore goalie Evan Wilga (Dudley, MA).
Both teams then traded shots before Worcester State senior Mark Johnson (Woburn, MA) headed a shot, but his attempted sailed to the left of net.
Five minutes later the Lancers got the ball back into Colonial territory. When sophomore Andrew Babineau (Webster, MA) went to make a play in front of the net, WSCU keeper Angelo Tsingerlotis (Norwalk, CT) was whistled for a foul in the box. Senior Miguel Vidal (N. Grafton, MA) made the ensuing penalty shot to put Worcester State up 1-0 in the 28th minute.
After the opening marker was scored, Western Connecticut then went on the offensive as they ended the second frame with a 6-2 shot advantage, but several attempts were either wide of the net, to high of the pipes and 20-yard kick by sophomore David Carey (Torrington, CT) hit the crossbar in the 41st minute.
The Colonials continued to stay on the offensive and rattled off two quick shots in the first five minutes of the second stanza, but their one shot on goal was saved by Wilga.
In the 52nd minute, the WSCU offense drew Wilga out of the net and each team scrambled for roughly 15 seconds to try to gain possession for the ball. As each side tried to knock the ball in or away from the net, it finally came to DaSliva who scored his second tally of the season in for the equalizer.
With the momentum on their side, Western Connecticut continued to apply pressure as they outshot the Lancers 3-1 over the next eight minutes. Worcester State had a golden opportunity to respond and knock in the go-ahead goal as sophomore Laurence Moreno (Brimfield, MA) had an open look, but his kick was wide and to the right of the net in the 60th.
The possession of the game went back and forth for several minutes as WSCU held a 3-2 advantage, but no good looks until the 69th minute when freshman Max Schneider (New Milford, CT) had a good bid, but his try was rejected by Johnson, who notched a team save.
Western Connecticut then tried for the net again in the 72nd minute when DaSilva found Rose, who slipped it past Wilga for the go-ahead score.
Worcester State tried everything they could do to answer, but the Western Connecticut defense stiffened and only allowed two WSC shots in the last 15 minutes of the game.
WCSU held a 23-12 edge in shots (13-6 in second) and a 4-2 advantage in corners. Wilga finished seven saves while Tsingerliotis stopped five of the six shots he saw on net. Tsingerliotis also improved his record to 2-2 win the triumph.
With the win the Colonials (3-7) end a four game scoreless streak that dates back to four games ago when they defeated Westfield State 3-0 on September 16. The Lancers slip to 1-9-2 with the setback.
Both teams entertain conference opponents at noon on Saturday. Worcester State entertains Bridgewater State in MASCAC play as they try to break an eight-game winless drought while Western Connecticut faces off against UMass Boston in a Little East matchup.