Men’s Soccer Falls to Clark, 4-2

WORCESTER, Mass. (October 2, 2019) – The Western New England University men's soccer team fell victim to a hat trick by Clark University sophomore Brian Brennan (Stoneham, Mass.), as the Cougars rallied to claim a 4-2 win over the Golden Bears on Wednesday night in non-conference action at Granger Field.

Top Performers
Brennan fueled the Clark offense, while freshman Ezekiel Palmer (Vergennes, Vt.) scored the goal that would stand as the game-winner late in the first half.

For the Golden Bears, seniors Corey Brown (Somers, Conn.) and Brendan Claflin (Burlington, Mass.) both found the back of the net.

Game Review
Western New England needed just 1:47 to get on the board as Brown found open space on the offensive end of the field before burying a shot into the net from the top of the box.

In the 13^th minute, the Golden Bears added to their lead on a breakaway that Claflin was able to capitalize on with a shot into the lower left corner of the net.

Clark responded in the 27^th minute, when Brennan tallied his first goal of the game on a feed from senior Sean Munroe (Silver Spring, Md.). Just six minutes later, Brennan recorded an unassisted goal to even the score at 2-2.

Palmer received a long through ball from freshman Connor Fitzgerald (Topsfield, Mass.) and put the Cougars ahead in the 39^th minute, before Brennan capped the scoring and completed his hat trick early in the second half.

Notes
• Clark outshot Western New England 16-12, with a 12-8 edge in shots on goal.
• The setback marks Western New England's first loss since August 30^th.

Up Next
The Golden Bears (7-2-1) will look to get back on track on Saturday, when they host Nichols in a Homecoming contest at 2 p.m. Clark (7-4) hosts Springfield on Saturday.