Box Score NORTON, Mass. – Two first half goals were enough to give the Springfield College men's soccer team a 2-1 upset victory over host No. 24 Wheaton College (Mass.) this afternoon in a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference contest at Keefe Field on the campus of Wheaton in Norton, Mass. The Lyons fall to 8-3-0 overall and 2-2-0 in league play, while the Pride improve to 7-4-0 and 2-2-0.
Wheaton owned a 15-7 shot advantage, including 10-1 in the second half and held a 6-5 edge on corner kicks.
The Lyons faced a 2-0 deficit at the intermission, but cut the margin in half in the 74th minute of play with their first goal of the afternoon. Junior midfielder Gabriel Fellows (Middletown, R.I.) tallied his first career goal for Wheaton on a shot that was deflected, but found the back of the net to make it 2-1.
The Lyons pressed Springfield in hopes of a game-tying score in the final minutes, including a pair of headers from senior back Nick Vanini (Londonderry, N.H.) that were denied by junior keeper Clayton Knibbs (Madison, Conn.).
Springfield proved up to the task in the opening half and got on the board in the 22nd minute for a 1-0 lead. Graduate student defender Derick Arhin (South Windsor, Conn.) found sophomore forward Finn Welch (Williamstown, Mass.) for his team-leading seventh marker of the year. Welch fired a shot into the far upper right corner to give the visitors the lead.
The Pride increased their lead in the 38th minute when senior midfielder Jack Costa (Rocky Point, N.Y.) corralled a loose ball that was deflected off a corner kick and scored his first collegiate goal for the eventual game-winner.
Knibbs finished with five stops for the Pride, while senior goalie Diego Medina (Yonkers, N.Y.) made two saves for Wheaton.
The Lyons return to action on Tuesday, October 12 when they travel to Bridgewater, Mass. to take on Bridgewater State University at 7:00 p.m., while Springfield hosts United States Coast Guard Academy on October 16 at 12:00 p.m.
