Men's Soccer Defeats Wheelock in NECC Opener

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NEW LONDON, Conn. - The Mitchell College men's soccer team cruised to a 9-0 victory in its NECC opener against Wheelock College on Saturday afternoon.

Seven different players scored goals as the Mariners (2-4-0 overall, 1-0-0 NECC) posted their first shutout of the season. Sophomore James Gleason and senior Tommy Derosier netted two goals apiece to lead the offensive attack.

Mitchell was the aggressor from the start, but solid goalie play by Victor Kashouh kept the game scoreless for the first 10 minutes. Kashouh made four saves during the stretch to keep the Wildcats in the contest, but the Mariners eventually broke through in the 14th minute off the foot of senior Teddy Dixon.

The Mariners scored three more times over the next five minutes to break the game open. Gleason netted his first goal on a header off a cross from Dixon in the 15th minute and then added his second less than two minutes later on a free kick from 20 yards out. He now leads the team with five goals on the season. Derosier then scored his first goal of the game in the 18th minute after weaving through traffic and ripping a shot inside the near post.

Derosier struck again in the 31st minute off a feed from sophomore Howie Johnson. The Mariners would score twice more in the half-freshman Brandon Hebert and Johnson, both in the 40th minute-to take a commanding 7-0 lead into the intermission.

Juniors Jaime Serrano and Will Frohnoefer added goals in the second half to cap the scoring. Mitchell outshot Wheelock by a 43-4 margin. Mitchell goalkeepers Kevin Woodford, Dan Valentine and Derek Ponciano all combined for the shutout.  Kashouh finished with 15 saves for the Wildcats.

Mitchell returns to action against Mt. St. Mary College on Tuesday, September 29 at 4:30 p.m.