Men's Soccer Plays Clark to 1-1 Draw in Season Opener

Worcester, MA --- Senior Alex Wolfel (Unionville, CT) potted a goal in the 87th minute sending the contest in to double overtime to secure a 1-1 draw with Clark University this afternoon in the opening round of the Worcester City Tournament

In the season opener for both squads, Clark jumped out to an early lead midway through the first period when third-year Oscar Zapata (Lima, Peru) chipped the ball home off a great feed from freshman Zack Blais (Tiverton, RI) on the left side of the box for the 1-0 advantage in the 21st minute.

Worcester State had their chances to knot the score on numerous occasions throughout the final minutes of the opening stanza, but couldn't find the back of the net.

Senior Brendan Whitson (Auburn, MA) went streaking up the left side in the 35th minute, however, his shot sailed wide right from point blank range and the Cougars entered the half clinging to the 1-0 lead.

Early in the second half Whitson attempted to tie the game as he found Wolfel all alone in front of the net, but his chip shot toward the top right corner floated too high and the Lancers remained in a one-goal hole.

The Blue and Gold had another great opportunity when sophomore Alex Goncalves' (Ludlow, MA) shot ricocheted off the left post in the 57th minute.

However, Wolfel was determined and played like a man possessed down the stretch and ultimately broke through on a stellar pass from second-year Rob Cicero (Springfield, MA) in the 87th minute as he sent a rocket into the upper left hand corner for the score and the 1-1 tie.

In the first overtime neither team generated solid scoring opportunity and the game continued into another bonus period.

Clark came on strong in the final few minutes of the second overtime and nearly snuck away with the victory in the 109th minute. After sophomore Kyle Russo (Westford, MA) tried to pick the bottom right corner with his late bid, second-year net minder Nick Zucco (Ludlow, MA) preserved the tie with a diving stop to stonewall the visitors.

The Cougars outshot Worcester State, 22-16, including a 7-3 clip in the overtime stanzas.

Zucco turned aside nine shots for the hosts as Clark senior Alfonso Alvarez (San Salvador, El Salvador) snagged one save before leaving with an injury. Alvarez was replaced by sophomore Robert Bischof (Tarrytown, NY) in the 90th minute who collected two saves in the final 20 minutes to help secure the draw. 

Both teams continue play in the Worcester City Tournament on Sunday afternoon at WPI's Alumni Field when WSU plays the Engineers at high noon and Clark faces off with Becker at 2:30 PM.

Story By John Hanna --- Sports Information Graduate Assistant

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