NORTON, Mass. – The MIT men's soccer team clinched a spot in the NEWMAC Championship as the Engineers played Wheaton to a 0-0 draw on Saturday afternoon on Keefe Field.
With the draw, MIT secured the fourth seed in the championship and will host a quarterfinal match on Tuesday. The Engineers have qualified for 25 NEWMAC Championships.
THE BASICS
- Score: MIT 0, Wheaton 0
- Records: MIT (8-8-2 Overall, 3-3-2 NEWMAC), Wheaton (6-5-7 Overall, 1-2-5 NEWMAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Wheaton had two early chances early in the first half but by first year Gael Vera (Westminster, Mass.) had his first attempt blocked and his second was saved by sophomore Paolo Mangiafico (Farmington, Conn.).
- The Lyons continued with the offensive pressure as they outshot MIT 9-4 in the first 45 minutes of action.
- First year Shikhar Motupally (Avon, Conn.) saw his shot at 63:26 turned away by junior Michael O'Gara (Ardmore, Pa.) at 63:26. Motupally then had back-to-back corner kick opportunities stifled by the Wheaton defense to keep the match scoreless.
- With time winding down, Vera saw his header off a corner blocked and a last-second shot by sophomore Camajé Easton-Smith (Hamilton, Bermuda) sailed high as the match ended in a scoreless tie.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Wheaton outshot MIT 21-7 including 12-3 in the second half.
- Mangiafico made five saves in the game and is 3-4-2 on the season. This was his second shutout of the season.
- O'Gara made five saves for Wheaton and moved to 6-4-6 on the season.
UP NEXT:
- The Engineers host Springfield, which earned the fifth seed in the championship, on Tuesday, November 5 at 7:00 PM.
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