Box Score Late Goals Give Bantams Double Overtime Win over Ephs
Hartford, Conn. – Rookie Cody Savonen (Orleans, Mass.) scored late in regulation and senior co-captain defender Shaun McGann (West Hartford, Conn.) added another in the second overtime to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 2-1 comeback upset over the no.2-ranked Williams College Ephs in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) men's soccer action this afternoon. Trinity improves to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the NESCAC, while Williams drops to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the league with their first loss of the young season.
"It's big because of what a great team they are," Head Coach Mike Pilger said after the game. "We didn't quit. We played better than to be losing after the first half and kept hanging in there. It wasn't easy."
Watch the game-winning goal
Behind an energetic home crowd, the Bantams came out strong and applied heavy offensive pressure on the Ephs, but Trinity was unable to capitalize. Midway through the first half, Trinity senior forward Christian Carrasquillo (Manchester, Conn.) created a scoring opportunity, but Williams senior co-captain goalkeeper Peter Morrell (Brunswick, Maine) deflected the shot and made another key save on the rebound shot to keep Trinity out of the net. Williams, who had been stifled offensively to that point, shifted fortunes in their favor and put together a quick counter strike on the ensuing play, which resulted in a goal by Williams sophomore Jonathan Westling (Sudbury, Mass.).
The Eph's score slowed Trinity's early momentum enough to keep Trinity off the scoreboard for the majority of the game. Morrell continued to extinguish nearly every Trinity offensive opportunity. But when the Bantams needed it most, with time winding down in regulation, Trinity re-discovered their early adrenaline, and Savonen, who had scored in each of Trinity's first two games, came up with his third goal of the season, the game-tying score, in the 87th minute.
The teams finished out the clock locked at 1-1, and remained tied after the first overtime period. With under five minutes remaining in the second (and final) golden goal overtime period, McGann received a header from senior co-captain Zachary Packer (North Attleboro, Mass.) and rifled a volley past Morrell in the 96th minute, putting the finishing touch on one of the biggest regular season wins in program history.
"It was a great moment," McGann said after the home fans rushed the field in jubilation following his game-winning goal. "Definitely one you always dream about as a player. Packer set me up perfectly with his header. Our alumni were at the game today, so there's nothing better than knocking off one of the best teams in the country in front of the guys who helped build this program and the home fans. It was definitely a celebration I won't forget."
Williams had lost just two games to NESCAC opponents in nearly two years, including a 1-0 loss to Trinity in the NESCAC Semifinals on November 5, 2011. Williams is coming off a season that included an NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament Semifinals appearance.
Trinity outshot Williams 19-11 in the game, and 12-4 in the first half. Trinity first-year goalkeeper Domenic Quade (Norwood, Mass.) made five stops in the game, and Morrell made nine stops in the match for the Ephs.
Click here to watch the game on demand. Tuesday's game against Westfield State will be webcast live at the same link, at 4:30 p.m.
Box score
