CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's soccer team received goals from three different players in a 3-2 victory over host Massachusetts Institute of Technology this evening in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play on Roberts Field in Cambridge, Mass.
The Lyons, who are ranked second in the most recent NCAA Region II survey, extend their win streak to four straight and improve to 7-4-6 overall, including 5-1-2 in league action, while the Engineers dip to 6-7-2 and 4-3-1.
Wheaton earns the number three seed in the NEWMAC Championship Tournament and will host sixth-seeded Springfield College on Tuesday, October 31 on Keefe Field at 2:30 p.m. The Lyons earn the number three seed for the first time since 2019. MIT receives the number four seed and will host number five seed United States Coast Guard Academy on the same day.
Both teams attempted 12 shots in the match, while Wheaton was awarded five corner kicks to a pair for the Engineers.
The Lyons scored two second half goals to break a tie and provide a cushion that was enough to come away with the road victory.
Senior back Ryan Bell (Berwyn, Pa.) served a long ball down the left sideline that classmate Luke Strange (Portland, Ore.) casually corralled, before lofting a shot that looped over the keeper and bounced perfectly just over the goal line to give Wheaton a 2-1 edge in the 59th minute of play. The goal was his first of the year for Strange.
The Lyons put a much-needed insurance goal on the board with 14:34 left to play to give them a 3-1 margin. First year forward Franck Onguene (Yaounde, Cameroon) beat the MIT keeper to a loose ball in the left corner, that was sent into the Engineers' defensive zone from midfield. He directed a shot inside the far right post for his first collegiate goal in the 76th minute of play.
The Engineers pulled to within a goal off a corner kick with 6:27 to play in the match. Sophomore midfielder Ethan Reich (New York, N.Y.) sent a low serve to the middle of the box, where first year defender Garrett Dyson (South Orange, N.J.) connected with a shot to the right of the Wheaton keeper and into the back of the net to make it 3-2. The goal marked just the second time this season, and the first since September 24, that the Lyons have allowed more than one goal in a match. It was the first time this year that sophomore goalie Michael O'Gara (Ardmore, Pa.) has given up multiple markers in a contest.
Wheaton got on the board first with a tally in the 13th minute of play of the first half to take a 1-0 edge. Senior forward Alberto Franceschi (Caracas, Venezuela) came up with the ball in the box in front of the net and, following some fancy footwork, flicked a shot into the far right post for his third goal of the season.
MIT pulled even with a goal of its own coming in the 24th minute of play. Graduate student forward Peter Novoa (Omaha, Neb.) played the ball back inside the box to first year midfielder Dilin Meloni (Needham, Mass.), who unleashed a rocket that found the far left corner of the net for his third goal of the season.
O'Gara finished with seven saves for the Lyons, while senior keeper Lukas Hanson-Puffer (London, England) turned away five of seven shots in the first 70:40 of action for the Engineers, before yielding to first year Paolo Mangifico (Farmington, Conn.) for the remainder of the match. He allowed one goal.
