DANBURY, Conn. - After registering just four shots in the first half, the Western Connecticut State University men's soccer team came to life in the second stanza firing 10 shots including the equalizer. However, Drew University tallied the lone goal of the second half en route to a 2-1 win over the Wolves at the Westside Athletic Complex on Wednesday evening. Sophomore midfielder Nikolas Santana (New Haven, Conn.) notched the lone goal for the hosts.

The visitors got things started just 6:17 into the contest when sophomore Konstantinos Papanikolas (Toms River, N.J.) delivered a header to the back of the net off a looping cornerkick feed from junior midfielder Ignacio Martinez (Randolph, N.J.). The Wolves countered with a pair of scoring chances but were unable to connect. Junior midfielder Jeffrey Norales (Bronx, N.Y.) rushed upfield midway through the period but with heavy pressure on his heels, he booted the ball just wide of the left iron. The Rangers would head into the break up, 1-0.

WestConn turned up the intensity in the second half. They knotted count at 1-1 in the 47th minute of action when Santana took advantage of the Drew netminder being out of position and chipped the ball into the open twine off a pass from senior midfielder Ian Mounts (Middletown, Conn.). The Wolves continued to apply the pressure but had several scoring opportunities thwarted by offsides calls. Drew also managed to create opportunities. However, WestConn sophomore goalkeeper Michael Arcuri (Staten Island, N.Y.) was stellar, stopping a pair of point blank shots en route to a five-save performance.

But the Rangers were able to snag the lead for good when Martinez knocked in a header off a long cross from Papanikolas. The ball snuck just between Acuri's leaping fingertips and the crossbar with 6:10 remaining in the contest. The hosts wouldn't go down without a fight as a pair of shots just sailed wide but the clock would hit zero before they could deadlock the score. 

With the loss, WestConn dropped to 0-2 overall while Drew improved to 2-1. The Wolves will look to notch a victory when they hit the road at non-conference foe Nichols College on Saturday at 1 p.m.