NEW LONDON, Conn. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's soccer team played host United States Coast Guard Academy to a 0-0 draw this afternoon in a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference match on a rainy Nitchman Field in New London, Conn.
The Lyons extend their unbeaten streak to four straight (2-0-2) and improve to 2-1-4 overall and 1-0-1 in league action, while the Bears are now 1-3-2 and 0-1-1.
Wheaton came into the match ranking 24th in the nation with a 0.50 goals against average and has not allowed more than one goal in any game this season, while posting four shutouts. The Lyons' streak of seven games with one or fewer goals allowed is their longest since 2014.
The visitors outshot their hosts, 8-5, but Coast Guard held a 4-3 edge in shots on goal. Both teams combined for just three shots in the second half. Wheaton was awarded six corner kicks, while the Bears took two in the match.
The Lyons first best scoring opportunity came in the 33rd minute of play when senior midfielder Gavin Mahoney (Carlsbad, Calif.) fired a shot ticketed for the left corner of the frame, but the Coast Guard keeper was able to deny the try to keep it a scoreless match.
Wheaton looked to score early in the second session when sophomore Joey Everett (Danbury, Conn.) possessed the ball in the box. The midfielder unleashed a hard shot headed for the far left post, but the ball went wide 91 seconds into the new half to keep both teams deadlocked without a goal.
The Lyons' final scoring opportunity of the afternoon came in the 76th minute when first year forward Franck Onguene (Yaounde, Cameroon) carried the ball into the left side of the box, before firing a shot into the left post that was stopped by the Bears' goalie with 14:49 remaining in the match.
Coast Guard looked to get on the board early with a flurry of three shots in a span of 31 seconds in the opening two minutes of the contest. Senior midfielder Charles Fish (Little Silver, N.J.) uncorked a hard shot into the right side of frame, but Wheaton sophomore keeper Michael O'Gara (Ardmore, Pa.) dove to his left to turn away the attempt. Junior midfielder Brennan King (Shepherdstown, W.Va.) was able to gather the ball for the Bears, but his shot was blocked before sophomore midfielder Aki Freeman (San Diego, Calif.) fired a shot to the near left post, but O'Gara was there again for the stop for the Lyons.
Mahoney paced the Wheaton offense with three shots, while Freeman directed both of his shots on frame to lead Coast Guard.
O'Gara stopped all four shots he saw to post his fourth shutout of the season and fifth of his career for the Lyons, while senior keeper Wolfgang Pfleghar (Fairfield, Conn.) made two saves for the Bears.
Wheaton returns to play tomorrow when it hosts Endicott College for a 2:00 p.m. match on Keefe Field, while Coast Guard plays Endicott next as well with a date on September 27 in Beverly, Mass. at 4:00 p.m.
