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MEDFORD, MA - Worcester Polytechnic Institute scored a pair of goals in the second half Saturday to take a 2-0 triumph over Nazareth in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament for men's soccer.
The Engineers had the better of the play statistically, specifically with a 25-4 edge in shots, and improved to 13-3-4 overall and will play host Tufts in a second-round match Sunday at 3 p.m. Tufts (15-2-2) defeated SUNY Maritime, 3-1, in Saturday's first game. Nazareth, which had its 13-game unbeaten streak snapped, finished the season with a 14-3-3 overall record.
For the Golden Flyers, making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 13 years, scoring chances were few and far between against a stingy WPI defense that had yielded just eight goals all season. None of the four Golden Flyer shots were on goal as the Engineers were able to recorded their 11th shutout of the season.
Nazareth also played well defensively in keeping the game scoreless through the first 45 minutes. WPI had 10 first-half shots and Nazareth keeper Brian Wilkin was called upon to make four saves.
The Engineers finally broke through less than three minutes into the second half as Mark Calnan scored his seventh goal of the season on a left-footed blast over the outstretched hands of Wilkin. Francesco Valagussa picked up the assist.
The second goal came in the 79th minute and was credited to David Lapointe, whose initial shot was saved by Wilkin. The rebound came right to Lapointe's right foot and he was able to knock it in for his sixth goal of the season.
Wilkin finished with eight saves in his final game. His WPI counterpart, Rufus Adams, didn't need to make a save. Nazareth shots were credited to Zein Mohamed, Noah Malta, Sam Smyth and Dereck France.