NORTON, Mass. -- Junior transfer Aidan Doyle (Kingston, Mass.) netted a pair of goals within the first 49 minutes of play to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) men's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over No. 12 Montclair State University this afternoon in the season opener for both teams on Keefe Field in Norton, Mass. on the campus of Wheaton.

The Lyons improve to 1-0 on the season, while the Red Hawks, who are ranked in the most recent United Soccer Coaches national poll, slip to 0-1.

The match was the first-ever contest between the schools.

The goals were the first of Doyle's collegiate career after playing his first two seasons for nearby Division I Stonehill College. He becomes the first Wheaton player to net a pair of goals in his Lyon debut since Yuri Moreira '11 tallied a pair of markers in a 2-1 triumph at Randolph-Macon College on September 1, 2007.

Montclair State held an 11-9 shot advantage and its lone goal came on a penalty kick for the first marker allowed on Keefe Field by Wheaton since visiting William College tallied a pair of goals on October 11, 2022. The scoreless streak on the Lyons' primary home pitch spanned parts of 11 matches and 878:03 minutes of play. The Red Hawks were also awarded a healthy 10-3 margin on corner kicks, but the Wheaton backline proved up to the task for the balance of the afternoon.

The Lyons cracked the scoring column in the 21st minute of play when junior midfielder Joey Everett (Danbury, Conn.) lifted a long cross from just over midfield into the box, where Doyle settled the ball on his chest and zipped a shot that found the back of the far right corner to give the midfielder his first collegiate score and Wheaton a 1-0 edge. 

The Lyons held a 1-0 lead at the intermission, but didn't waste any time to pad their lead in the second stanza with a marker coming 3:10 into the new half. First year forward Gael Vera (Westminster, Mass.) was able to dig the ball out of a scrum on the right sideline and cross to senior forward Alasdair Ferrier (Concord, N.H.) with the back of his foot. Ferrier took two dribbles, before sending a centering cross to Doyle in front of the goal mouth, who responded with a first touch that slipped past the right side of the keeper for his second goal of the day. Wheaton owned a 2-0 lead with 41:50 to play in the match.

The Lyons' bid for its 10th consecutive shutout on Keefe Field was dashed when senior midfielder Osbin Mendez (Piscataway, N.J.) ripped a perfectly placed penalty kick past the outstretched fingers of the Wheaton goalie and just inside the left post to put the visitors on the board. Montclair State pulled within 2-1 on the free kick in the 59th minute of play. It was nothing out of the ordinary for the Red Hawks, who scored at least one goal in every contest last season.

Junior Michael O'Gara (Ardmore, Pa.) stopped three shots for the Lyons, while his counterpart Alexander Velasquez (Roselle Park, N.J.) also made three saves in his collegiate debut for Montclair State.

Wheaton is back in action again with a return to Keefe Field on Sunday, September 1 to face Saint Joseph's College (Maine) at 2:00 p.m., while the Red Hawks remain in the Bay State to take on another New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference foe in Babson College on September 1 at 1:00 p.m.