Hoboken, NJ --- WPI held Stevens scoreless through the opening 45 minutes and finished with a 15-9 advantage in shots, but the host Ducks scored twice in the second half to hand the Engineers a 2-0 setback in a non-conference men's soccer contest played Saturday afternoon at DeBaun Athletic Complex.
WPI moves to 0-3-1 on the season, while Stevens improves to 3-0-1.
The Engineers created the majority of the early chances, as
Nikolas Previte (Andover, MA) tested Stevens goalkeeper
Bobby Boyke in the ninth minute.
Michael Montabana (Jamison, PA) and
Nathan Araujo (Holliston, MA) followed with attempts before
Noah Amorim (Weymouth, MA) put a shot on frame in the 26th minute. Araujo forced another Boyke save in the 35th minute, while
Liam Laidlaw (Fayston, VT) had WPI's final shot on goal of the opening half. At the other end,
Savio Ketnouvong (Worcester, MA) made a save on Omar Martinez in the 18th minute, and an Engineer defender cleared a Stevens header off the goal line in the 31st minute as the teams entered halftime scoreless.
Stevens broke through just 45 seconds into the second half when
RJ Dougherty's shot from approximately 20 yards deflected off a WPI defender before finding the far side of the net. WPI responded with pressure, as Previte,
Adin Pezo (Everett, MA), Araujo and Montabana all registered shots during the next 25 minutes.
Danyil Kovryzhenko (Merrimack, NH) added back-to-back attempts in the 75th and 81st minutes, while Previte and
Geronimo Barroso (Houston, TX) also looked to pull the Engineers even. Stevens, however, added an insurance goal at 84:30 when Emerson Kekesi scored off a Dougherty assist.
Ketnouvong played all 90 minutes in goal and finished with one save. Boyke recorded four saves for the Ducks, with all four of his stops coming in the opening half.
WPI held a 15-9 advantage in shots, including a 9-4 edge after halftime. Previte, Montabana and Araujo each recorded three shots, while Kovryzhenko added two. The Engineers also earned two corner kicks to three for Stevens and limited the Ducks to just four shots on goal.
The Engineers return to action on Tuesday when they host Western Connecticut at 4pm. The Ducks head to Springfield for a 7pm kickoff with the Pride on Tuesday.
