2002 NCAA DIVISION III Men's Soccer Championship
Medgar Evers Drops NCAA Opener, 3-0
Babson Park, MA --
Coming off of a stunning four-goal shutout in the CUNYAC Championship, Medgar Evers
College was held scoreless by Babson College in a first round matchup of the 2002 NCAA Division III Men's
Soccer Championship, 3-0. The game was played on the campus of the higher seeded Babson, through a cold
rainstorm and a brisk breeze. Medgar Evers, which earned the school's first-ever NCAA berth in a team sport by
winning the CUNY Athletic Conference championship the previous week, ends its season with a record of 12-8-1.
Babson (12-5-5) wasted little time getting on the board, as the Beavers struck just 4:54 into the contest.
Sophomore Steve Pagnotta's breakaway shot ricocheted off charging Medgar Evers goalie Ancil Steeple (Brooklyn,
NY) and caromed out to junior forward Shaun Dowell, who placed a low shot into a wide-open net to give his
team a 1-0 advantage.
The Beavers would add another score just three and a half minutes later, when senior Jonah Frisch used
a nice move to take the ball deep into Cougars' territory. The senior midfielder then hit a short pass than glanced
off a defender and rolled right to Pagnotta, who converted his team's second wide-open look to increase Babson's
lead to 2-0.
Despite the early two-goal deficit, Medgar Evers settled down nicely in the second half, recording five of
their six shots in the stanza. However, Babson junior goalkeeper Tom Malloy stopped all three shots that he faced
on net to keep the Cougars off the board. The Beavers then added an insurance goal with 8:29 remaining, as
Dowell scored his second of the contest off a cross from senior Mark Abraham capping off the Babson victory.
Malloy finished with three saves in net for Babson, while Steeple stopped seven shots in goal for Medgar
Evers. CUNY Tournament Most Valuable Player Sekou Forbes (Brooklyn, NY) and all-star Noel Watson (Brooklyn,
NY) weren't able to get together on enough combinations on the muddy field and get the Cougars offense going.
"By the time the team settled down, it was too late," said 12th year head coach Stanley Harmon.
"Still we
played with an experienced team for most of the game. It's an experience these
young men will never forget and it provides a starting point for next season."
| Team |
1 |
2 |
Final |
|
Medgar Evers
(12-8-1) |
0 | 0 |
0 |
|
Babson College
(12-5-5) |
2 | 1 |
3 |
SCORING:
B - Shaun Dowell (Steve Pagnotta) 4:54
B - Steve Pagnotta (Jonah Frisch) 8:19
B - Shaun Dowell (Mark Abraham) 81:31
SAVES: ME, Ancil Steeple 7 (90 mins 3 GA); B, Tom Malloy 3 (90 mins 0 GA)
SHOTS: ME 6, B 13
CORNER KICKS: ME 2, B 2
FOULS: ME 11, B 13
|
|
