NORTON, Mass. — Three different players scored for the No. 8 Wheaton College (Mass.) men's soccer team in a 3-0 victory over visiting Neumann University this afternoon in the opening round of the NCAA Championship Tournament at Keefe Field on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 15-1-4 on the season and will take on Middlebury College in tomorrow's second round contest at 1:00 p.m. on Keefe Field. The Panthers defeated State University of New York Geneseo, 2-1, in the day's earlier match.
Neumann's season comes to an end with a 13-4-3 record.
The win was the first in the NCAA Tournament for Wheaton since a 5-0 triumph over Daniel Webster College – exactly 11 years ago – on November 15, 2014.
The teams were level with 11 shots apiece with Wheaton owning an 8-6 margin in shots on frame. The Lyons held a 6-5 edge in corner kicks.
Wheaton got on the board in just the 12th minute after senior midfielder Joey Everett (Danbury, Conn.) was taken down in the box. Senior midfielder Aidan Doyle (Kingston, Mass.) fired a shot into the upper right corner on the penalty kick for his team-leading 10th marker of the season to give the Lyons all they would need for the victory.
Senior starting keeper Michael O'Gara (Ardmore, Pa.) registered six saves in the first 73:32 of action, before yielding to junior Nick Phinney (Gorham, Maine), who was untested in the final 16:28 of play to combine on Wheaton's 11th shutout of the season.
Things were definitely going the Lyons' way, leading to their second tally of the day in the 67th minute. A Knights' defender played the ball back to Neumann senior keeper AJ Henry (Swedesboro, N.J.), who was well off his line, but the goalie's clearing attempt ricocheted off Wheaton junior forward Declan Rhatigan (Holderness, N.H.). Rhatigan's momentum in pursuit of the ball pushed the ball into the back of the net for his 10th goal of the season to match Doyle and double the home team's lead.
The Lyons added an insurance goal, just over four minutes later, to take a comfortable 3-0 advantage. Junior midfielder Caleb Cassetta-Waxman (Denver, Colo.) served a lead cross from just in front of midfield ahead of first year forward Vinny McGann (Chelmsford, Mass.), who ran onto the ball and carried it into the box, before sending a shot past the Knights' keeper and into the left corner of the net.
Neumann's first scoring chance came in the 29th minute of the first half when junior forward Jordan Illian (Mellsboro, Del.) served the ball from the right corner flag to senior back Jason DiFilippo (Galloway, N.J.), who was camped in the left slot. His try was snuffed out by O'Gara to protect Wheaton's one-goal edge. The Knights threatened again in the 32nd minute when Illian fired a shot on a free kick from just above the box, ticketed for the left corner, but O'Gara made a dive to his right to deny the try and keep it 1-0.
Junior midfielder Darwin Berger (North East, Md.) paced the Neumann offense with three shots, including two on net, while Henry finished with five stops in between the posts for the Knights.
