Boston, MA ---
Francesco Valagussa (Arlington, MA) had a hand in all three goals as WPI men's soccer went on the road Tuesday evening and blanked host Wentworth 3-0 in a non-conference matchup on Sweeney Field in Boston.
The Engineers, winners of two straight, see their record level at 3-3-3 overall while the Leopards slip to 2-7 on the season.
WPI netted the only goal if the opening stanza in the 34th minute when a Valagussa pass to
Billy Chissoe (Gig Harbor, WA) created a 2-on-1 for the Crimson and Gray and Chissoe's feed to the right found
Alejandro Clermont-Delgado (San Francisco, CA) who shot it inside the right post for his first career tally at 33:11.
Christopher Jimenez (Doral, FL) nearly evened the game right before halftime for Wentworth but he was denied from point-blank range by Engineer netminder
Julian Quaresima (East Meadow, NY) at 41:02.
The guests almost went ahead 2-0 just over five minutes after intermission but
Santino Bazzini's (Buenos Aires, Argentina) bid was cleared off the line by Wentworth's
Zachary Redondo (Glassboro, NJ).
WPI did pull away with a pair of goals 89 seconds apart midway through the second half. Slick passing again was the key to the Boynton Hillers second goal as Valagussa carried the ball towards the goal, dishing a pass to
Aaron Vaz (Medford, MA) on his left, who one-touched the ball towards the a streaking
Tora Ito (Hopkinton, MA) who knocked it past the Wentworth keeper for his career marker at 66:18. Valagussa punctuated his outstanding night by picking up a Leopard turnover and depositing his second goal of 2023 and 12th of career at 66:47.
Quaresima picked up the win in net for the Engineers, making five stops over the first 85:10 while
Brendan Ross (Winchester, MA) recorded a save in his collegiate debut over the final 4:50. Wentworth goalkeeper
Noah Lawless (Whitefish Bay, WI) repelled seven shots while going the distance for the hosts.
For the match, WPI held a 21-11 advantage in shots and a narrow 5-4 edge in corner kicks.
A busy weekend of home matches awaits WPI as the Engineers host Salve Regina on Saturday at 4:30pm in a NEWMAC affair before entertaining Endicott on Sunday at 5pm for Senior Day. Wentworth returns to CCC action on Sunday with a 3pm trip to Wenham to face Gordon.
