Castleton Defeats Daniel Webster, 2-1, to Advance to ECAC Finals
Box Score: http://content.dwc.edu/athletics/MensSoccer/Stats09/DWM19.HTM
First Round - Wednesday, November
11
No. 8 Lesley 1 at No. 1 Wentworth 2
No. 7 Norwich 1 at No. 2 Castleton State 2
No. 6 Daniel Webster 3 at No. 3 Plymouth State 3 (DW wins
in pks)
No. 5 Anna Maria 3 at No. 4 Westfield State 2
Semifinals - Saturday, November 14 at Wentworth
Wentworth 1 vs. Anna Maria 0
Castleton State 2 vs. Daniel Webster 1
Championship - Sunday, November 15 at Wentworth
Castleton State at Wentworth, 3:00 p.m.
BOSTON, Mass. - Senior midfielder Nick Johnson (Greenwich, N.Y.) scored with 13:57 remaining in the second half as the second-seeded Castleton State College men's soccer team advanced to the championship game of the 2009 ECAC Division III New England Men's Soccer Tournament with a 2-1 win over sixth-seeded Daniel Webster in a game played at Wentworth Institute of Technology's Sweeney Field.
A steady rain which had fallen for most of the day and a wet field contributed to a slow going by both teams, as neither squad had any chances in the first seven minutes of play. After a the first shot of the game by Castleton in the eighth minute, Daniel Webster gained momentum and had three shot attempts in a two-minute span, but did not get a shot on net. The Spartans had their first chance of the half in the 21st minute when junior midfielder Josh Costa (Sutton, Mass.) put a shot on goal, but was turned away by Eagle sophomore Joe Keene (Bristol, N.H.). In a span of 50 seconds the Spartans would have three corner kicks but could only muster one shot, which sailed wide of the target in the 28th minute.
The Eagles finally broke into the scoring column at the 28:19 mark when sophomore midfielder Spencer Bernard (Windsor Locks, Conn.) tipped in a rebound of a senior forward Andre Garcia (Springfield, Mass.) shot. Castleton had a chance to tie the game in the 34th minutes, but a Costa shot from 20 yards out hit the left post. The Spartans continued to put pressure on Daniel Webster in hopes of tying the game before halftime and would even the score with 42 seconds left in the half when Costa beat Keene to the left after receiving a pass from senior forward Sean Fitzgerald (Saratoga, N.Y.).
Both teams battled back and forth throughout the second half, but could break the stalemate until Johnson intercepted a Daniel Webster defensive clear and went in by himself to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead. The Eagles put two shots on net over the remainder of the game - including a header in the 86th minute, but senior keeper Mike Anthony (Dartmouth, Mass.) made two saves to preserve the win.
Anthony finished the game with four saves, as did his counterpart, Keene. The Spartans had a 20-11 shot advantage for the game and a 9-1 advantage on corner kicks.
With the win the Spartans improve to 12-7-3 and advances to tomorrow's title game against top-seeded Wentworth (14-8-0). The Leopards edged Anna Maria to advance to their second title game in three seasons. Daniel Webster sees its four-game (3-0-1) unbeaten streak come to an end as the Eagles finish the season with a 12-6-1 mark.
Courtesy of Wentworth Sports Information
