Men's Soccer Falls to Clark, 1-0

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Clark University men's soccer team remained unbeaten on the season as the visiting Cougars edged Bridgewater State University, 1-0, on Wednesday night at Swenson Field.

The Cougars improve to 7-0 with the victory, while the host Bears fall to 2-4 with their fourth straight shutout loss.

Freshman forward Evan Jurkowski (Ludlow, Mass.) scored the game's only goal on a breakaway off a BSU miscue in the 61st minute of play. Jurkowski came in from the right side and slipped a shot past the sprawling BSU netminder and inside the far post.

The Cougars held a 12-2 shot advantage in the first half but were unable to get a shot past BSU freshman goaltender Nate Morgado (Dartmouth, Mass.). Sophomore defender Julian Feshbach-Meriney (Concord, Mass.) hit the post a little over nine minutes into the game. Morgado also made back-to-back saves off a restart at the 23-minute mark. Senior forward Zack Blais (Tiverton, R.I.) had the initial shot, while junior defender Ethan Ziemba (Glen Gardner, N.J.) got to the rebound but the shot was smothered by Morgado.

The Bears had a quality scoring chance in the waning seconds of the opening stanza, but a shot by senior forward Prince Collins (Boston, Mass.) from inside the 18 was blocked by a Clark defender.

After falling behind in the second half, the Bears held the edge in play and ultimately outshot the Cougars by a 11-3 margin in the stanza.

A direct kick by sophomore forward Kane Moran (Perth, Australia) from 30 yards out skipped wide of the right post in the 62nd minute. Moran's header attempt in the final minute off a corner kick sailed over the crossbar.

Clark senior goaltender Alistair Richardson (Tolland, Conn.) was forced to make just three saves on the night as he recorded his first win of the season and first solo shutout. Two of Richardson's saves came late in the game as he made back-to-back stops on Moran and BSU sophomore forward Jameson Bradley (Westborough, Mass.).

The Cougars finished with a slight 15-13 advantage in shots, while the Bears held a decided 9-3 edge in corner kicks.

Morgado made three saves in net for the Bears as he played the first 45 minutes.

The conference schedule resumes for both teams on Saturday afternoon. The Bears travel to Mass. Maritime Academy for a 4:30 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) game with the Buccaneers, while the Cougars entertain New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) rival Coast Guard Academy at noon.