NORTON, Mass. – Senior defender Leao Nelson (Bar Harbor, Maine) netted a pair of goals to lead the No. 21 Wheaton College (Mass.) men's soccer team to a 6-1 victory over visiting Husson University this afternoon at Keefe Field on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons, who are ranked in the most recent United Soccer Coaches national poll, have won three in a row and improve their record to 4-0-1 on the season, while the Eagles improve to 0-4-1.
Wheaton dominated possession with a 31-9 shooting advantage, while being awarded eight corner kicks to Husson's total of five.
Nelson registered the first multi-goal effort of his collegiate career for the Lyons. Junior back Owen Kane (Pembroke, Mass.) netted a goal, while backline mate Kevin Morse (Acton, Mass.) chipped in with an assist to give the Wheaton backfield seven points for the match. Senior midfielder Aidan Doyle (Kingston, Mass.) recorded three points with a goal and an assist in addition to junior midfielder Caleb Cassetta-Waxman (Denver, Colo.) and first year Tanner Rock (Clifton Park, N.Y.) each netting a marker. Senior goalie Michael O'Gara (Ardmore, Pa.) stopped three of four shots in 80:35 of action, before yielding to first year keeper Patrick Butler (Glastonbury, Conn.), who made his collegiate debut with an untested stretch of 9:25 to finish out the match.
First year back Lucas Menchaca (Madrid, Spain) scored the lone goal for the Eagles with first year midfielder Miguel Diaz Alvarez (Madrid, Spain) and first year forward Enrique Mendes (Southampton, Bermuda) each picking up an assist. First year netminder Yovanny Spilsbury (Miami, Fla.) made nine saves for Husson.
Both teams scored within a three-minute span to knot the contest at 1-1, before the Lyons netted the final five goals of the match.
Wheaton took a 1-0 edge with 24:39 to go in the opening half. Doyle served the ball on a free kick into the box, where it deflected off an Eagle defender and popped up in the air for Nelson to put a head on it for his first goal of the year in the 21st minute of play. Just 2:58 later, Menchaca evened the score at 1-1 for the Eagles with his first collegiate goal. Husson also began their goal-scoring effort with a free kick. First year Miguel Diaz Alvarez (Madrid, Spain) served the ball into the goalmouth, where Mendes headed the ball down into the right slot to Menchaca for a scoring strike in the 24th minute of play.
The Lyons defense accounted for the offense again when Kane scored in the 33rd minute to give Wheaton a 2-1 edge. Wheaton set up the score off a corner kick. Senior midfielder Baden McLaughlin (Yarmouth, Mass.) played the ball on the ground back to Morse, who sent an outstanding serve into the goalmouth, where Kane re-directed the cross with his head into the back of the net with 12:25 left on the first half clock.
The match remained a one-goal affair until the Lyons scored the first of three goals, to come in a 12-minute stretch, in the 54th minute to take a 3-1 margin. Doyle connected on a penalty kick into the bottom, right corner of the net for his third score of the season. Wheaton added its fourth goal in the 65th minute to increase its advantage to 4-1. Sophomore midfielder Charlie Cushing (Eastham, Mass.) sent a deliberate cross to the right slot, where Nelson was camped and ripped a shot past the keeper and into the far left corner for his second tally of the afternoon in the 65th minute. The Lyons struck again just 80 seconds later to build their cushion to 5-1. Cassetta-Waxman delivered Wheaton's fifth goal when he created a turnover in the visitors' back field and carried the ball into the box for a one-on-one situation that resulted in the junior chipping a shot over the Eagle keeper for his second marker of the season.
Wheaton added an insurance goal with 4:30 to play in the match to give it a 6-1 lead. Rock received the ball on the right side of the box, before making a move and zipping a shot past the keeper into the far right post for his third goal of the year.
The Lyons return to action on Tuesday, September 16 when they host Bridgewater State University on Keefe Field at 4:00 p.m., while Husson is back at it tomorrow to play Tufts University in Medford, Mass. at 2:00 p.m.
