Men’s Soccer Secures First-Round Playoff Home Game with 4-1 Win at Southern Vermont

BENNINGTON, Vt.- The Eastern Nazarene College men's soccer team topped Southern Vermont 4-1 Friday afternoon in the regular-season finale.

The Lions conclude the regular season with a 6-9-3 overall record and locks up a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Tournament quarterfinal home match with a 4-2-2 league mark. The Mountaineers finish the fall with a 2-14-3 record to go with an 0-5-3 conference mark.

The guests swiftly gained a 1-0 lead with an early strike in the sixth minute. Sebastian Arboleda (Barranquilla, Colombia) netted his third goal of the season with a low shot into the bottom left corner of the cage.

Eastern Nazarene doubled its advantage to 2-0 with a tally in the 22nd minute. Edmilson Centeio (New Bedford, Mass.) bagged his third marker of the year as he buried a loose ball inside the box after the Southern Vermont mishandled the ball.

The Lions tacked on their third score of the game in the 34th minute to widen the gap to 3-0. Matthew Cawthorne (Norwell, Mass.) headed in a corner kick floated into the box by Prem Subedi (Scranton, Pa.) to collect his second goal of the season.

The visitors controlled a 3-0 lead at halftime after outshooting Southern Vermont 13-2 through 45 minutes of play.

The Mountaineers got on the board in the 63rd minute to cut the deficit to 3-1 on Nick Langat's fourth tally of the fall.

Eastern Nazarene reclaimed a three-goal lead in the 87th minute as Centeio notched his second score of the contest and fourth of the season.

The Lions manufactured 20 shots on the day while Southern Vermont attempted five.

Florian Resch (St. Stefan, Austria) and Victor Mendoza (Cathedral City, Calif.) split the contest in goal for the away side.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene will host an NECC Tournament first round match Tuesday, October 30.