SPRINGFIELD, Mass., September 3, 2006 – In the first match of today’s SC Men's Soccer Invitational, Springfield College and Albion College (Mich.) played to a 1-1 tie. In the follow-up game, Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) and Western New England College (WNEC) ended at a 0-0 stalemate.

In game #1 of today’s action, sophomore Alan Anderson (Ann Arbor, Mich.) of Albion College knocked in the first goal to give the Britons the early edge. Twenty minutes into the second half, the Pride struck back. Junior forward Colin Cook (Wilbraham, Mass.) scored off teammate John Plourd’s (Southampton, Mass.) attempt at goal. Despite a combined 28 shots throughout the rest of the game, neither SC nor Albion were able to break the tie.

Briton’s freshman goalkeeper Jordan Thomas (Birmingham, Mich.) tallied 11 saves on the day. Albion completed the SC Invitational with a 1-0-1 record.

Pride goalkeeper B. J. Sturdivant (Bear, Del.) recorded two saves in the game. The Pride (0-1-1) will return to action on Wednesday, September 6th, when it hosts Keene State College at 7:00 p.m. on Brock-Affleck Field.

In game #2, Eastern Connecticut and Western New England both put on defensive performances, and the match ended in a 0-0 tie. ESCU was held to just seven shots through two overtimes, while WNEC managed a mere nine shots. The Golden Bears were unable to take advantage of its 11-2 edge on corner kicks, limited by Eastern's effective offside trap that led to 12 WNEC offside violations.

WNEC senior keeper Chris Wilk (Derry, N.H.) recorded three saves in 110 minutes of play. The Golden Bears’ record after two matches is now 1-0-1.

For ECSU, junior goalkeeper Jay Barney (Mansfield, Conn.) put aside five shots on goal. The Warriors' record now stands at 0-1-1.

published: 09/03/2006