Trinity Men's Soccer Blanks No. 9-Ranked Wesleyan
Bantams Earn No. 3-Seed in NESCAC Tournament
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- Freshman Timothy Shea (Somerset, Mass.) scored his first career goal in the 18th minute and senior co-captain Dan Mayernick (Gladwyne, Pa.) added an insurance goal less than five minutes later to lead Trinity College to a 2-0 men's soccer victory over Wesleyan University Wednesday afternoon. Wesleyan, ranked ninth nationally in the latest NSCAA poll, suffered its first defeat of the season (10-1-3, 7-1-2 NESCAC). Trinity improved to 8-4-2 and 6-2-2 in NESCAC action, clinching the third seed in the upcoming conference tournament to match the program's highest-ever finish in the NESCAC standings.
Shea's goal with 17:48 gone in the contest gave Trinity all the offense it would need. Mayernick sent the ball from deep along the right side to Shea, who was standing alone in the middle of the box. Shea's low shot tucked just inside the left post to give him his first goal of the season. Mayernick made it a 2-0 game at the 22:23 mark. Mayernick beat a pair of Wesleyan defenders at the top of the box, ran to the right side, and sent another low shot to almost the exact same spot as Shea's goal. Mayernick leads the Bantams with eight goals and 18 points this season. The goal marked the first time since its season opener against Bowdoin College that Wesleyan allowed two goals in a game, as the Cardinals have allowed just six goals this year.
Wesleyan had a number of opportunities, but the Bantam defense, anchored by senior co-captains Joe Buckley (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Wesley Updike (Cambridge, Mass.), and sophomores Zachary Packer (Mansfield, Mass.) and Andrew McNair (Westport, Conn.) kept Wesleyan off the board. Trinity has allowed just seven goals on the year, and zero in its last three contests, which have all resulted in wins over NESCAC opponents.
Following a Trinity foul with just over 10 minutes to play in the first half, Wesleyan was awarded a free kick from 20 yards out. Senior Steve Paresi (Armonk, N.Y.) tried to curl the ball inside the left post, but Trinity senior co-captain keeper Grant Schonberg (Mendham, N.J.) dove to his right to get two hands on the ball and push it away. Schonberg stopped another shot by Paresi in the 51st minute but was unable to control the rebound. Wesleyan junior Walter Rodriguez (North Plainfield, N.J.) was waiting on the doorstep and had a shot at an open net, but Packer blocked the shot at the goal line.
Schonberg finished with seven stops in the Trinity net to record his seventh shutout of the season. Wesleyan junior Adam Purdy (Montclair, N.J.) had three saves in the contest. Trinity has had its way with the Cardinals in recent years, winning four of the past five meetings by a combined score of 7-1. The Bantams took a 1-0 victory in Middletown last season on Mayernick's tally in the 52nd minute. Both teams will return to action on Saturday, hosting NESCAC quarterfinal contests. Wesleyan will host defending conference champion Middlebury College, while Trinity will battle in-state rival Connecticut College.
