Men’s Soccer Scores Late in Regulation to Earn 1-1 Draw with Roger Williams on Senior Day

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Western New England University men's soccer team overcame a 1-0 deficit late in regulation to earn an eventual 1-1 draw with Roger Williams University on Saturday afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at Suprenant Field.

Prior to the start of the contest, Western New England honored its 11 seniors – Dylan Husted (South Deerfield, Mass.), Corey Brown (Somers, Conn.), Derek Maccini (Bath, N.H.), Nick Kubacki (Belchertown, Mass.), Brendan Siegel (Liberty, N.Y.), Brendan Claflin (Burlington, Mass.), Charlie Argyle (Plymouth, Mass.), Chris Manousos (Wethersfield, Conn.), Connor Prindle (Shelton, Conn.), Bryan Doyle (Southington, Conn.), and Arcel Kabongo-Ngoy (Lubumbashi, DRC).

Top Performers
Claflin scored the late equalizer for the Golden Bears with assists from Manousos and junior Matt Remillard (Palmer, Mass.).

Western New England freshman goalkeeper Ben Mielnikowski (Feeding Hills, Mass.) made three saves, while his counterpart, Roger Williams senior Edmund Geschickter (Brookline, Mass.), stopped seven shots.

Game Review
The Hawks struck first late in the first half with the help of a Western New England miscue. After a long ball was played into the box, Doyle attempted to make a play on a Roger Williams attacker, but inadvertently flicked the ball up over Mielnikowski's head and into the net.

The Golden Bears trailed for the majority of the second half, before finding the equalizer with just 7:32 remaining in regulation. Remillard sent a cross into the box from the right side, which Manousos attempted to head into the goal. The ball deflected off a Hawk defender and fell right to Claflin in front of the net, where he volleyed it home to tie the contest.

Western New England continued to press late, forcing Geschickter to make a pair of saves over the final five minutes of regulation. Geschickter also made two saves during the 20 minutes of overtime play, but the Golden Bears were unable to score as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.  

Notes
• Western New England held a commanding 32-8 advantage in shots, and the Golden Bears also owned a 9-2 edge in corner kicks.
• Claflin's goal this afternoon moved him into a tie for the team lead with six this season.

Up Next
Western New England (11-5-2, 3-3-1 CCC) wraps up its regular season slate on Tuesday night at Curry. Roger Williams (8-5-5, 3-2-3) is off until the CCC Tournament gets underway next Saturday.