Men's Soccer Drops Season Opener To Babson

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. - Babson sophomore Andrew Gonzalez (Durham, Conn.) knocked home a rebound in the 83rd minute to propel visiting Babson to a hard-earned 1-0 shutout over Bridgewater in a non-conference men's soccer contest played Wednesday evening on Swenson Field.  

The regionally ranked Beavers (3-0) remain undefeated on the young on the season, while it was the season-opener for the Bears. Babson is fourth in the latest NSCAA New England regional poll.

The match's lone marker came after a junior Patrick Ellis (Braintree, Mass.) shot was turned aside by the BSU goalkeeper and collected by Gonzalez who deposited the rebound into the right side of the goal with 7:39 remaining in regulation. Gonzalez's heroics was the last shot by either team.      

An entertaining first half ended scoreless with Babson enjoying a 7-3 bulge in shots and attempting both of the opening stanza's corner kicks. The Beavers saw sophomore Telvin Lopes (Pawtucket, R.I.) and junior Brenden Matthews (Marlboro, Mass.) register shots on target only to be repelled by Bridgewater State senior goalkeeper Matt Bagley (Braintree, Mass.). 

The host Bears did not muster a shot on goal but put forth a rally in the final four minutes with a shot by freshman Prince Collins (Boston Mass.) that drifted wide and a bid from senior Craig Shadduck (Braintree, Mass.) that floated high.

Babson kept the pressure on in the second half, and tallied with nine of the half's 11 shots.  Bagley was credited with five stops on the night while senior Jackson Klein (Maplewood, N.J.) was not called upon to make a save while posting his first clean sheet of the season and fifth of his career.

Both teams return to action on Saturday with non-conference tilts.  Bridgewater State ventures to Eastern Connecticut for a 1pm affair while the Beavers head to Brandeis for a 7pm showdown at nationally-ranked Brandeis.