Worcester, MA- The Men's Soccer team suffered their first loss in New London, CT this afternoon falling 3-2 against Mitchell College.
Mitchell was quick to get on the board in the first half, scoring in the first few minutes of the game. Worcester slowed the pace down, but the Mariners finally found room for the second goal with a header knocked in from a pass across the box to push the lead to 2-0. The Lancer squad continued to rally with a number of opportunities of their own in the first half, taking 8 shots and focing the Mitchell goalkeeper to record 4 saves in the half, but in the final minutes Mitchell managed to send a third goal past the keeper to take a 3-0 lead into halftime.
The second half saw a more settled game with each team attempting to make the most of their chances on net. The Lancers pushed the attacking pedal to get a score on the board and thier pressure was succesful when they were able to bring the game to within two after a long cross from junior Luke-Mark Anu (Salem, MA) found the foot of his Nate Lewos for the first Lancer goal of the game. The Blue and Gold did not let up in the second half, recording 15 shots in the half in their bid to reclaim the game. They worked to tighten their defense and stalled Mitchell's attack, allowing just four shots and in the half with only one on frame in the second half to keep them scoreless for the final 45 minutes. In the final minutes of the game, Lancers put on a final push to take home the game, netting a second goal off the foot of Patrick Mbarushimana and working towards finding that tying oppurtunity in the final six minutes. The clock just hit zero before Worcester State could complete the three goal turn around on the day. Mbarushimana led the team with four shots, three on net, and a gol in the game while fellow goal scorer Lewos recorded two shots, both on frame for the Lancers. Worcester State goalkeeper Christian Packard recorded one save on the afternoon.
Mitchell moved to 1-3 on the season while the Lancers now sit at 1-1-1. The team is back in action on Sunday with an 11am game versus Emmanuel at home on Coughlin Field.