MEN’S SOCCER FALLS TO MIT IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Scoring its first goal twenty minutes into the first half, the MIT men's soccer team put away visiting Emmanuel College, 3-1, in the final non-conference game of the season.  The season finale was played on a crisp Wednesday evening on the Engineers' home turf.  With his 19th goal this year, MIT sophomore Sean Bingham (Garden City, N.Y.) broke the Institute record for most goals scored in a single season. Tech improved to 12-3-1 with the victory, while the Saints dipped to 9-11 with the loss.

Although the Engineers gained possession of the ball quickly, they had keeper Saints Garrett Charette (West Springfield, Mass.) to contend with.  Twenty minutes into the half, senior Matthew Monheit (Abington, Pa.) broke free of the defenders and shot at the net from well inside the box, but Charette was able to make the save. Seconds later, Monheit fired off another shot that hit the post. Bingham took a powerful shot after the keeper had been brought out of the net, but a Saints' defender was able to plant himself in the net and block it. No more than a minute later, Charette punched a shot by junior Nicholas Diamantoni (Boca Raton, Fla.) out of the net and directly at the feet of fellow junior Alexander Dago (Chicago, Ill.), who pocketed the ball into the back of the net under the goalie's arm.

It was not until the 28th minute when Emmanuel got off its first shot attempt, at which point, Tech had already taken 11 shots. With eight minutes remaining in the half, junior keeper Sam Cannon (Scarsdale, N.Y.) booted the ball clear out of danger just as a Saint had broken through the defenders and was heading for the net.  This kept the score at 1-0 heading into the second half.

Emmanuel's best shot at a goal came five minutes into the second stanza, when Danny Richman (Medfield, Mass.) fired at the net, but sophomore goalie Jake Amereno (Commack, N.Y.), who replaced Cannon in the MIT net, was able to make a diving stop. Less than 10 minutes, senior Jonathan Tebes (Hamden, Conn.) scored his first of the season when he received a cross from Diamantoni directly in front of the net and slipped it into the right corner.

The Saints' lone goal of the game came in the 76th minute, when Ryan Brady (Springfield, Vt.) fired the ball past a diving Amereno, following a free kick from sophomore Cian O'Sullivan (Agawam, Mass.). The goal by Brady was the senior captain's first of the season.

With a one-goal game on their hands and just 14 minutes remaining, the Engineers turned up the aggression in hopes of scoring one more goal. They got their wish as, with less than six minutes left on the clock, Bingham received a pass from freshman Tommy Harris (Lincoln, Ill.) and fired point blank at the net to give MIT a 3-1 lead. With one more save by Charette, the game ended with a 3-1 MIT victory.

Tech outshot the Saints, 27-10, with Charette having to make an impressive 12 saves. Cannon, who improved to 5-2 on the season, made four saves, while Amereno only had to make three. Bingham took seven shots throughout the game, three of which had to be saved. Monheit was close behind with five shots.

With the regular season complete, the Saints will take a few days off in preparation for the upcoming Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament.  Emmanuel, the No. 6 seed in the tournament, will travel to Providence, Rhode Island on Sunday (Nov. 3) to take on the No. 3 Wildcats of Johnson & Wales University in 1:00 PM start.

- Release courtesy of MIT Sports Information