Men’s Soccer Blanked by No. 12/14 Rensselaer in NCAA Tournament First Round

TROY, N.Y.- The New England Collegiate Conference champion Eastern Nazarene College men's soccer team fell 4-0 at No.12/14 Rensselaer in the NCAA Tournament first round Saturday afternoon at ECAV Stadium.

The Lions conclude the 2019 campaign with a 16-4-0 overall record. The Engineers improve to 15-3-2 on the year and advance to the round of 32 Sunday, November 17 to face the winner of the Middlebury vs. Johnson & Wales (R.I.) first-round matchup.

The home team snagged a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute. Michael Harten netted his first goal of the season as he knocked in a free kick sent into the box by Dylan Confair.

Rensselaer tacked on its second score of the opening frame to widen the gap to 2-0. Ben Kogan buried his second marker of the year as Paul Silva provided the assist.

Eastern Nazarene trailed 2-0 at the halftime intermission as the Engineers held a narrow 5-4 edge in first-half shot attempts.

The hosts added a goal in the 65th minute to extend their lead to 3-0. Arik Duncan headed in his fifth goal of the season and Confair registered his second assist of the match.

Rensselaer stretched the margin to 4-0 with a strike in the 80th minute. Gabe Terando collected his second tally of the fall off of an assist from Chris Heffernan.

The Lions finished with four shots on the day as Leon Zaffonato (Canela, Brazil) fired a team-high two shots with one attempt on frame. The Engineers generated 16 shots in the contest and held a 6-0 lead in corner kicks earned.

Junior goalkeeper Tim Eddings (Endicott, N.Y.) recorded four saves in his 10th start of the season.

"We had a tremendous season and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history was a great accomplishment," said head coach Mark Bell.