Springfield, MA ---
Adin Pezo (Everett, MA) scored twice in the second half to put WPI in front, but Western New England tallied twice in the final 7:14 to rally for a 3-2 victory over the Engineers Sunday afternoon at Suprenant Field.
WPI falls to 0-2-1 on the season, while Western New England improves to 1-1-1.
Western New England opened the scoring in the 20th minute when
Junior Beyoko (Brunswick, ME) finished a
Tyler Lewis (Suffield, CT) assist at 19:40. WPI had first have opportunities with
Nikolas Previte (Andover, MA) putting two shots on goal in the opening 14 minutes and
Eli Marden (Shelburne, VT) and
Liam Laidlaw (Fayston, VT) also recording attempts.
Savio Ketnouvong (Worcester, MA) made two first-half saves, including a stop on Andrew Macca with less than five minutes remaining, as the Golden Bears carried the 1-0 advantage into halftime.
The Engineers quickly erased the deficit after the break. Pezo tied the match at 49:52, finishing a chance set up by Previte. Pezo struck again at 63:38, giving WPI a 2-1 lead with his second goal of the afternoon. The sophomore, the reigning NEWMAC Rookie of the Year, now has five career goals.
WPI continued to pressure the Golden Bears, but Western New England answered late.
Lucas Ritson (Agawam, MA) headed home a
Matty Leonard (Long Beach Township, NJ) assist at 82:46 to even the match, and
Owen Dieterle (Coventry, CT) scored with just 1:10 remaining to complete the comeback following a chaotic scramble in front of the net.
Ketnouvong played all 90 minutes in goal for the Engineers and finished with three saves. Western New England goalkeeper
Brendan L'Italien (Douglas, MA) also went the distance, making
six saves to earn the victory. L'Italien stopped Pezo with just under six minutes remaining to preserve the 2-2 deadlock before the Golden Bears found the winner.
WPI finished with a 16-15 advantage in shots and put eight attempts on frame compared to six for Western New England. Pezo led all players with five shots and three shots on goal, while Previte added four shots and two shots on goal.
Michael Montabana (Jamison, PA) recorded two shots, including one on target, while Marden added three attempts. Western New England was led by Lewis with three shots.
The Engineers are off until Saturday when they travel to Stevens for a 1pm contest in Hoboken, NJ. Western New England returns to action Wednesday, Sept. 9 when it travels to Wheaton for a 4pm contest in Norton.
