MEDFORD, Mass. – The fifth-seeded Connecticut College men's soccer team scored twice in the opening eight minutes to defeat second seed Wesleyan University 2-1 on Saturday afternoon from Bello Field on the campus of Tufts University in the NESCAC Semifinals.
Conn came out of the gates quickly, opening the scoring just 2:52 into the contest. The Camels earned the early corner kick, which Marco Perugini (Medway, Mass.) delivered into the box, meeting the head of Gavin Mpiana (Cape Town, South Africa) who powered it home to make it 1-0. Just five minutes later, Conn doubled the advantage.
The Camels earned another corner kick that Perugini delivered into the box, falling to Matt Quiros-Newton (Alajuela, Costa Rica), whose shot was blocked. However, the ball fell to Max Haberman (San Diego, Calif.) who looped a shot on goal that Mathis Blanc caught, but his momentum carried him into the net to make it 2-0, with eight minutes gone. Neither side generated much for the rest of the half, as Conn led 2-0 at the break.
Conn had an early look to extend the lead just three and a half minutes into the second half, but Haberman was denied by Blanc. Wesleyan responded with three shots in five minutes, looking to get on the board, but Yousuf Saeed and Zach Feldman put shots high, before TJ Krongard (Montclair, N.J.) came up with a save on Saeed.
The Camels had a golden chance to push the lead to three as Mpiana was able to get in alone on goal. Mpiana stepped around Blanc, but his shot went high, keeping the score at 2-0 with 30 minutes to play. The Cardinals had another chance to get on the board, but Krongard came up with another save, this time on Joshwin Jennings.
Wesleyan continued to press looking to get back into the contest, but the Conn defense did a great job clogging up the midfield. Wesleyan was able to get a late consolation goal from Dylan Clack with 38 seconds remaining, but the Camels closed out the final seconds to earn the 2-1 win.
Conn outshot Wesleyan 12-9, with both teams recording four shots on goal, while the Camels held an 8-4 advantage on corner kicks.
Krongard picked up the win in goal, finishing with three saves. Haberman and Mpiana both tallied one goal, while Perugini chipped in one assist.
Blanc made two saves in goal, with Clack notched the lone Cardinals goal.
Conn (10-2-5, 4-2-4 NESCAC) moves to the NESCAC Championship game where they will look to defend their title against top-seeded Tufts at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow in Medford, Mass in a rematch of the 2021 conference final.
