CAMBRIDGE, Mass. —
On Wednesday night, October 7th, the United States Coast Guard Academy men's soccer team hit the road for a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) match-up at MIT, eventually losing a high-scoring yet close game by a final score of 3-2. Coast Guard are now 5-3-2 (1-1-1 NEWMAC), while the Engineers improve to 4-3-3 overall (2-0-1 NEWMAC).
Coast Guard jumped out the gate quickly, scoring in the first minute. The Bears won a free kick and it was taken by senior midfielder Andres Villasana (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) who played it ahed to fellow senior and forward Jake Fish (Little Silver, N.J.). Fish sent it into the box and found senior defender Naveen Jayaram (Tampa, Fla.) in front of the goal to give the Bears an early 1-0 lead.
The Engineers tied the game in the 8th minute and then quickly took the lead in the 11th. MIT maintained pressure on the Bears with four shots, and it paid off as the hosts extended their lead in the 25th minute. In the 28th, the Bears were awarded a penalty and Kai Trager (San Clemente, Calif.) capitalized to get Coast Guard back in the game. The score remained 3-2 in favor of MIT at halftime.
In the second half, this game began to slow down as there were not many chances for either side. Coast Guard only managed to get three shots off, including one on target, while limiting the Engineers to just two shots in the second half. No team could find the back of the net, however, as this game would end the same way as the first half. Coast Guard lost by a final score of 3-2.
The Bears will look to bounce back this Saturday, October 10th, as they NEWMAC play at home with against the visiting Emerson Lions (7-3-2, 0-1-1). The team has designated the game as their Senior Day, with kick-off is scheduled for Noon EST following a pre-game ceremony to honor Coast Guard's first-class cadet-athletes.
