Engineers drop Gulls, 4-0

Box Score

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Opening its season with a 2008 NCAA Tournament qualifier proved to be a difficult task as the Endicott College men’s soccer team dropped a 4-0 decision to MIT on Tuesday afternoon in Cambridge, Mass.  MIT’s Zach Kabelac notched a pair of goals along with two assists to lead the Engineers (1-0) to their ninth-straight season-opening win.

The opening frame was a defensive battle with neither side finding the back of the net. The Cardinal and Gray had several chances to end the deadlock, but Gulls’ goalie \#Daniel Higgins\# (Kingstown, R.I.) kept the hosts off the board.

MIT snapped the scoring drought just 1:53 into the second stanza when Kabelac sent a throughball to Therkelsen for his first marker of the season. A few minutes later, Endicott (0-1) made several close-range attempts to register the equalizer however the Engineers’ defense stymied the attack. MIT extended its margin in the 54th minute on a Kabelac strike. Max Stein-Golenbock found the sophomore forward, who placed the ball just under the crossbar.

The Therkelsen-Kabelac connection returned in the 69th minute to give the Engineers a 3-0 lead. Kabelac squeezed a pass along the near sideline which Therkelsen dribbled past a pair of defenders and placed in the lower far corner of the net. During the next minute, a throw-in by the Gulls’ \#TJ Sapienza\# (Milford, N.H.) landed at the feet of \#Colin Doody\# (Whethersfield, Conn.). As he attempted to corral the ball, MIT’s defense swarmed and ended the scoring threat.

The Engineers capped the scoring in the 72nd minute following a miscue by Higgins as he came out of the box with the ball, resulting in an EC penalty. Standing at the top of the box, Kabelac calmly sent the ball around the wall and into the top right corner of the goal.

Three minutes later, Endicott made another charge at net as a free kick by \#Joe Ryan\# (Peabody, Mass.) found \#Adam Skerpan\# (Smithfield, R.I.) in the middle of the box. He blasted the ball to the lower right corner, but it was stopped by MIT netminder Dylan Rankin’s outstretched left leg. Higgins prevented the Engineers from increasing their margin as he made a point-blank save on a strike from Jason Bouhenguel in a one-on-one situation.

Rankin collected three saves for MIT and earned the first shutout of his career. Higgins tallied six saves for the Gulls.

Next up for the Blue and Green will be a road game at Salem State on Saturday, September 5th at 3:00 p.m. MIT will host Salve Regina on September 3rd at 4:00 p.m.

                                    Release Courtesy of MIT Sports Information