NEW LONDON, Conn. - Coast Guard men's soccer didn't have to travel far on Thursday afternoon for their third win of the season. The Bears took on nearby Mitchell College and dominated on both sides of the ball, coming out of the match with a 4-0 victory.

The Mariners were going into the game seeking their first win of the regular season, having played to a draw in their opener against Fisher College. Coast Guard, on the other head, were looking to keep their momentum going after winning their first two contests of the season against Gordon College and Endicott.

Junior forward Aki Freeman (San Diego, Calif.) wasted little time getting the Bears closer to their objective as he scored in just the 3rd minute of play. Freeman struck again a little over eight minutes later as he put another one in the back of the net in the 12th minute to put Coast Guard up 2-0. Freeman's second goal of the night was his third overall on the season.

That was all for the Bears in terms of scoring in the first half. Coast Guard's starter in goal, sophomore Samuel Linkous (Gulf Breeze, Fla.), faced zero shots in the first half. He was pulled at the start of the last 45 minutes of play and replaced by freshman Connor Hickey (South Berwick, Maine).

It didn't take long for the Bears to get back on the board in the second half, as sophomore midfielder Michael Porter (Baltimore, Md.) got one past Mitchell's goalkeeper for his first collegiate goal in the 52nd minute. Porter was assisted on the play by junior midfielder Alexander Thissell (Ashburn, Va.). Coast Guard struck again in the 77th minute as senior midfielder Micah Messner (Mableton, Ga.) picked up his second score of the season, enhancing the Bears' lead to 4-0 in the process. 

Hickey faced two shots in the second half and saved both of them in his first taste of collegiate action. As good as the offense was in the match, Coast Guard's defense was arguably better. The back line allowed the Mariners to get in position for only three shots over the entire 90 minutes. The Bears were also more physical in the matchup as they were whistled for 11 fouls, while Mitchell was called for only 4 in comparison.

Men's soccer will continue their season with a matchup at home against Worcester State this Saturday afternoon. The Lancers are 0-2 to start the season after falling to WPI 1-2 in their season opener last week and Johnson & Wales 1-3 on Wednesday.