NORTON, Mass. – Freshman Travis Blair (Hastings, N.Y./Hastings) scored his first collegiate goal late in the first half and freshman goalkeeper Devin Delfino (Bourne, Mass./Bourne) made four saves to help the Wheaton College men's soccer team earn a 1-1 tie with Wentworth Saturday afternoon in non-conference action. The match was both the season opener for both squads as well as the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Just moments after entering the match, Blair gave the Lyons (0-0-1) a 1-0 lead at 34:57. Junior Federico Kelly (Hingham, Mass./Hingham) headed the ball into the box on the backend of a corner kick, and Blair send a header into the back of the net. The match remained tied into the break with the Lyons holding a 10-5 edge in shots.
Early in the second half, the Leopards (0-0-1) evened the score on a goal by freshman Nick Cotter (Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich). Senior captain Josh Deschene (Webster, Mass./Bartlett) played the ball over to Cotter, who sent a shot from the left side of the box into the far right corner at 50:19.
The Lyons best scoring chance in overtime came midway through the second session when junior Will Nesbitt (Holliston, Mass./Holliston) fired a shot that struck the crossbar behind Wentworth junior goalkeeper John Longo (Needham, Mass./Needham). The Leopards, meanwhile, had a chance a few minutes later when Cotter sent a long blast just over the crossbar. Longo finished with four saves.
Wheaton finished the afternoon with a 21-11 edge in shots and a 10-2 edge in corner kicks.
The Lyons return to action Sunday afternoon when they host Hobart at 1:30 p.m. The Leopards, who played in their first season-opening overtime game since losing to Roger Williams, 3-2, on Sept. 9, 2000, travel to Babson Sunday for a 1 p.m. match against the 14th-ranked Beavers.
(Portions of the release courtesy of Wheaton College Sports Information)
Goals by period 1 2 OT O2 Tot
-------------------------------------
Wentworth........... 0 1 0 0 - 1
Wheaton............. 1 0 0 0 - 1
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 34:57 WHE Travis Blair (1) (Federico Kelly)
2. 50:19 WIT Nick Cotter (1) (Josh Deschene)
Shots: Wentworth 11, Wheaton 21
Saves: Wentworth 4 (John Longo 4), Wheaton 4 (Devin Delfino 4)
