AMHERST, Mass. – The No. 9 Connecticut College men's soccer team opened the new season, by scoring three times in the second half, to defeat host Amherst College 3-1 on Saturday afternoon from Hotchkiss Field.
It was a cagey affair between the longtime rivals, with just four total shots in the opening half. Amherst recorded all four efforts, with Connor Smith (Columbia, S.C.) forced to make one save, while the Conn defense blocked two other efforts. Neither side was able to find much space, as the game was scoreless at the half.
The Mammoths had an early look in the second half, but Smith came up with the save on Mohammed Nuhu. The Camels got their first shot on target in the 51st minute, but Axel Nilsen's (Oslo, Norway) shot was handled by Trey Sheppard.
With just under 28 minutes remaining, Conn earned a freekick on the right side of the box, as Gavin Mpiana (Cape Town, South Africa) was taken down. Marco Perugini (Medway, Mass.) delivered the ball into the box, where Max Haberman (San Diego, Calif.) flicked it across the front of the goal where Dylan Hoke (Westport, Conn.) was able to poke it home.
Five minutes later, Amherst nearly evened the score as Obed Opoku let a shot go, but it banged off the crossbar and stayed out. The Camels doubled the advantage with 19 and a half minutes remaining as Charlie Riegel (Suffield, Conn.) weighted a perfect pass down the line to Max Weiss (Weston, Conn.) who fired low to the far post to make it 2-0.
The Mammoths pushed, looking to cut the deficit to one, but Conn countered quickly, as Nilsen was taken down in the box for a Camels penalty kick. Perugini stepped up to the spot and delivered low to the corner to push the lead to 3-0 with seven minutes remaining. However, Amherst spoiled the shutout as Sam Davis got a consolation goal for the Mammoths with 71 seconds remaining, as Conn earned the 3-1 win.
Amherst outshot Conn 12-9, while the Camels held a 7-4 edge on shots on target, while the Mammoths had a 9-3 advantage on corner kicks, as the teams combined for seven yellow cards and two red cards.
Smith picked up the win in goal, finishing with three saves. Hoke, Perugini, and Weiss led the way with one goal apiece, while Haberman and Riegel both chipped in an assist.
Sheppard got the start in goal for Amherst, recording seven saves. Sam Davis notched the lone Mammoths goal, while Harrison Hackett added an assist.
Conn returns to action on Tuesday afternoon, as the Camels return home for the first time to take on Emerson at 4:30p.m. on Silfen Field.
