Second Half Goal Downs Men's Soccer Over Anna Maria

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's soccer team scored its only goal in the second half of a 1-0 victory over Anna Maria College on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field.

The Mariners (2-0-1 overall) were active on the offensive end the entire first half but broke through for the lone score in the 62nd minute off the foot of senior James Gleason. The AMCATS (0-4-0 overall) spent the rest of the contest trying to net the equalizer but just couldn't find the back of the net.

Mitchell was the aggressor in the opening stanza and outshot Anna Maria 13-7 in the half. AMCATS goalie Mike Dandurand stopped all eight shots on goal, however, to keep the game scoreless at the halftime whistle. Mitchell's best scoring chance came just eight minutes into the game when freshman Jason Kirby worked his way through the defense and sent a shot off the crossbar.

Just over 16 minutes into the second half, Gleason put the Mariners ahead with his third goal of the season. The play began in Mitchell's defensive end with goalkeeper Kevin Woodford sending a long goal kick over the midfield stripe that bounced twice and skipped over Anna Maria's back line. Gleason played the hop perfectly and tracked the ball down before sliding a shot past Dandurand into the left side of the goal. The assist was Woodford's second of the season.

Anna Maria kept pressuring the Mitchell defense over the final third of the game. Enco Lika came off the bench and took seven shots, several of which were struck well but just off target.

Dandurand finished with a game-high 13 saves to keep the AMCATS in contention. Woodford made four stops on the day to record his first clean sheet of the season.

Mitchell returns to action at Coast Guard on Wednesday, September 14 at 4 p.m.