WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The Connecticut College men's soccer team's second half rally came up just short, as the Camels fell to host Williams 2-1 on Saturday afternoon from Cole Field.
It was a slow start for both teams, as the first shot of the contest did not come until the 15th minute. Marco Perugini (Medway, Mass.) tallied the first chance of the game at 14:58, but his shot was stopped by Kai Darrell.
Williams responded two minutes later, breaking on a quick counter attack. Kellan Grace connected with Alex Bethencourt who fired home to put the Ephs in front 1-0 at 16:52.
The game slowed down again, but Conn had the best looks for the remainder of the half. Chase Corcoran (Lincoln, R.I.) was denied with 12 minutes left, before Axel Nilsen (Oslo, Norway) was stopped by Darrell with three and a half remaining, as Williams led 1-0 at the break.
The Ephs struck quickly in the second half, to double the advantage just 11 seconds in. Darrell launched a ball towards the Camel box that fell to Bethencourt who was able to cross it towards JJ Ruehlemann who headed it home to make it 2-0.
Conn responded, but the Ephs under pressure and had a couple of really good looks to get on the board. Devin Kellan (Greenwich, Conn.) put three shots on goal in the span of 1:27, including forcing Darrell to leap and tip a ball over the crossbar, as the Camels remained behind 2-0.
Conn continued to press and finally got on the board with nine and a half minutes remaining. The Camels forced a turnover at midfield, with the ball ending up on the feet of Max Haberman (San Diego, Calif.) who played a pass into Perugini. Perugini worked his way towards the top of the box, firing low to the near post and skipping a shot past Darrell to make it 2-1.
The Camels kept the Ephs hemmed in and nearly tied the game four minutes later. Conn used a long throw-in into the box that fell to the foot of Gavin Mpiana (Cape Town, South Africa) but his effort from the front of the cage was denied. However, that was as close as the Camels got, falling 2-1.
Conn outshot Williams 15-8 overall, including 10-5 on shots on goal, while holding a 6-2 advantage on corner kicks.
Casey Shea (Haworth, N.J.) got the start in net, finishing with three saves. Perugini led the Camels attack, tallying the lone goal.
Darrell picked up the win in goal, finishing with nine saves. Bethencourt led the way with three points on one goal and one assist, while Ruehlemann added a goal.
Conn (5-2-1, 3-2-1 NESCAC) returns to action on Tuesday as the Camels host Trinity on Tuesday night in a NESCAC matchup at 7:00 p.m. on Silfen Field.
