DANBURY, Conn. — Sophomore
Jhonn Padilla's (Bronx, N.Y.) free-kick goal in the 26th minute was the eventual game-winner in the Western Connecticut State University men's soccer team's 4-1 victory over Little East Conference rival UMass Boston on Saturday at the Westside Athletic Complex. The Wolves improved to 8-3-3 and remain undefeated in the league at 4-0-0, while the Beacons fell to 4-4-1 and 1-1-1.
Chance Campbell (Bartow, Fla.) intercepted a sloppy pass by the Beacons at the 30-yard line before drawing a penalty and connecting for the Wolves' first goal of the night in the 16th minute. Ten minutes later, Padilla took a free kick and found the back of the net off a yellow card issued to the visitors, which set up the game-winner. The Wolves continued to play aggressive offense with their third goal of the first half, this time by
Demani Gordon (Bronx, N.Y.) off the boot of
Lucas Fernandez (Stamford, Conn.) at 41:09.
After sitting most of their starters, WestConn's bench maintained momentum as
Francesco Giglio (White Plains, N.Y.) had a long lead to beat the Beacons defender one-on-one for a slow-rolling goal in the 86th minute. Giglio received the long pass from
Rodrigo Lancho (Hartford, Conn.), which drew goalkeeper William Martinez too far out and allowed the ball to drift across the attacking zone into the net, despite a sprinting defender on its coattails.
In the 89th minute, Idman Hodzic put the Beacons on the board. The visitors had a few opportunities to score, but the Wolves' backline denied any chance to score early on. In the eighth minute, Eduardo Chirico was left unattended in the Wolves' end, but Padilla tracked him down, forcing him to pass to Gabriel Jordao, who attempted a shot, but
Anthony Reyes (Danbury, Conn.) used his body to block the ball. John Arruda came close to breaking through the Wolves' defense, but a sliding tackle by
Enzo LaGrassa-Gillet (Miami Beach, Fla.) in front of the home bench sent the ball out of bounds.
Aime Ruggles (Bronx, N.Y.) made a trio of saves across 75 minutes of action for the hosts, while Martinez made two in his debut for the Beacons. Both teams had 10 shots, but WestConn edged UMass 6-4 in shots on goals.
WestConn continues LEC action for a road contest at Eastern Connecticut State University on Wednesday, with a 4 p.m. kickoff.
