Paxton, MA --- Neither the cold rain and gusts of wind nor the Anna Maria defense could slow down the visiting WPI men's soccer team on Friday afternoon, as the Engineers won the non-conference matchup 5-1.
WPI, who capped off a stretch of four wins in seven days, climbs to 11-4 on the year while Anna Maria is now 2-14-1.
The Engineers struck first on an unassisted goal from junior forward Chris Ciampa (Danvers, MA) in the 14th minute of the first half. Kurt Naugler (Westford, MA), a freshman defender, scored a goal on a penalty shot that was rewarded after Anna Maria committed a foul.
The AMCATS tallied a goal in the 39th minute of the half, capitalizing on the misplay of the ball by WPI's sophomore goalkeeper Michael DeMarco (Staten Island, NY). The ball, sent in to play by sophomore certerback Ryan Goehring (Hampton, NJ), bounced over DeMarco's head and junior midfielder John Ernest (Blackstone, MA) was able to sprint to the ball and put it in the back of the net.
The second half saw more scoring from WPI. Senior forward Joe Rucco (Whitesboro, NY) showed off his strong foot and accuracy when he found the twine from 25 yards out. Tynan MacLeod (Groton, MA), a sophomore forward, tacked on another goal to make the score 4-1. The final score of the game came in the 77th minute when freshman defender Zach Sellman (Hopkinton, MA) scored off of a great pass from sophomore midfielder Sam Russell (Glastonbury, CT).
WPI goalkeepers DeMarco and Dwight Boatman (North Branford, CT) were not called on to make a save for WPI, who outshot Anna Maria 19-1 on the day took all 16 of the game's corner kicks. It was the second win in as many decisions for DeMarco, who played the first 74:04.
In a pre-game ceremony the AMCATS honored their senior-athletes: Enco Linka (Worcester, MA), Eric McLaughlin (Billerica, MA) and Cody Moules (Billerica, MA).
Anna Maria will travel to Newport, Rhode Island for a 2pm match against the Seahawks of Salve Regina on Sunday. WPI is off until Saturday,October 27th when they close out the 2012 regular season with a trip to Springfield for a pivital NEWMAC match. Kickoff is slated for 1pm.
Release Courtesy Anna Maria Sports Information
