No. 18 Men's Soccer Battles Bridgeport in East Coast Conference Rivalry
Box Score BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Sept. 28, 2013) – The No. 18 Mercy College men's soccer team contested a tough battle at East Coast Conference rival the University of Bridgeport on Saturday night. The Mavericks ultimately suffered their first defeat of the season, 2-0.
Mercy's record now stand at 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the ECC, while Bridgeport picks up its first win to move to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in the ECC.
A pair of early goals within the first five minutes of the game proved to be Mercy's undoing. Sophomore Luis Fajardo sent a free kick into the box for graduate student Lee Middleton to slot it away at the two-minute mark, nudging the Purple Knights ahead, 1-0, as the Mavericks gave up just their third goal of the season, with all three having come in the first eight minutes of the match.
Mercy was whistled for an offside infraction on the possession following the goal, but Bridgeport struck again at just the four-minute mark. Fajardo sent a cross in from the right wing and freshman Andreas Wardh got onto the end of it on the left side of the box, smashing it home to put the Purple Knights up, 2-0, less than five minutes into the crucial conference matchup.
The Mavericks settled down after the early disappointments, but it would not affect the final score line. Bridgeport went on to outshoot Mercy, 15-6, while winning 10 corners to the Mavericks' four in a physical battle that saw the rivals combine for 39 fouls and five yellow cards. Still, Mercy's defense managed to lock things down to even the playing field, allowing just one shot on goal over the other 86 minutes of the game, while the Mavericks' offense matched the Purple Knights' total of three for the game on the other end of the field.
Head Coach Chris Smith and the Mavericks will look to get back on track with a non-conference match as they host Dominican (N.Y.) College (4-4) on Monday, Sept. 30 at 3 p.m.
