Clark 1, WPI 0
Box
Score
Worcester, MA - Junior Mike Trobagis (Acton,
MA) first half goal stood up as the game-winner as the Clark
University men's soccer team edged WPI, 1-0, in New England Women's
and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Parent and Family
Weekend at Granger Field Saturday.
Clark improves to 3-2-4 (1-1-1 NEWMAC). WPI dips to 3-5
and remain winless in the league (0-2).
After posting four ties in its last seven games, head coach
David Kulik was pleased to break into the win
column. "A conference win is always important," Kulik said. "We had
a couple of early chances and then Mike (Trobagis) got a great goal
for us. WPI evened out the game as time went on, but I'm
happy that we got a result."
The Cougars, who held an 8-2 edge in shots in the first half,
dominated from the start. An early opportunity by
Kyle Klapp (Schenectady, NY) was cleared by WPI
midfielder Timothy Lontz (Collegeville , PA)
before it crossed the goal line at the 37:55 mark. However,
Trobagis found the back of the net when he fired the ball from
25-yards out to the far right corner in the 13th minute
for a 1-0 lead. Senior David Blum (Irvington, NY)
was credited with an assist on the play.
WPI had a chance to knot the score just over three minutes
later, but Jonathan Zwirko's (Holyoke, MA) drive
went wide.
Junior goalkeeper Peter Wise (Providence, RI)
was not tested in the first frame.
The Engineers picked up the momentum after the break. Positioned
on the far right, Rens Hayes (Norton, MA) got a head on Lontz's
corner kick, but his bid floated just wide of the right post in the
75th minute.
Clark's best opportunity to increase its lead came on a hard
shot by sophomore John Machado (Bristol, CT) that
WPI keeper Steve Hoffer (Lake Placid, NY) stopped
point-blank with nine minutes remaining.
In addition to a last minute save by Wise, the Cougars were able
to control the final minutes of the game to secure the victory.
Clark held a 15-7 lead in overall shots and a 7-6 advantage in
corner kicks.
Wise turned aside three shots to pick up his second shutout of
the season. Hoffer finished with three saves for WPI.
Both teams are back in action against non-conference opponents
on Wednesday. Clark will play Fitchburg State College at 6 p.m. at
Granger Field, while WPI will host Framingham State College at 7
p.m. at Alumni Field.
Courtesy of Clark Sports Information
