Trailblazers Lose on Day One of CIAO Classic

The MCLA Trailblazers fell on the opening day of the CIAO Classic by a score of 3-1 to the UMass-Dartmouth Corsairs.

The Trailblazers were on the attack early as Anthony Basile scored on a header off of a feed from Tyler Vona to lead 1-0. It easily could have been 2-0 as Corsair goalie Luis Carranza made  a spectacular save on Vona in the opening minutes as Carranza robbed Vona from fifteen feet away.

The Corsairs would respond with a pair of goals five minutes apart as Matt Vidal would get UMass-Dartmouth even in the twenty-seventh minute and Akere Tambi would put the Corsairs in the lead for good with a goal off a corner kick from Vidal. The first half would remain 2-1 with neither team mounting a serious scoring chance through the half.

UMass-Dartmouth was controlling possession early in the second half and that spurt greatly contributed to the Corsairs attempting three consecutive corner kicks; but the Trailblazers were able to withstand the rally and begun to even out the play. MCLA played much more aggressively as the half wore on. The Trailblazers put nine shots on Carranza in the second half, though the Corsairs did a good job forcing the Trailblazers to shoot from distance.

It appeared MCLA may have tied the game at two in the sixty-fourth minute as Ryan Baker headed a Edward Boateng corner towards the goal. Carranza made the save, but MCLA argued that Carranza and the ball had crossed the goal line. The officials determined that it was a good save by Carranza and the game remained 2-1.

UMass-Dartmouth got some insurance in the eighty-fourth minute when Corey Morris scored on a penalty kick after the Trailblazers were whistled for a hand ball in the box.

The Trailblazers put thirteen shots on net during the match, with Boateng and Vona combining for nine.

The Trailblazers fall to 0-2-1 and will be in search of their first victory of the season tomorrow in day two of the CIAO Classic. MCLA will take on WPI at 2:00 PM at Shewcraft field. UMass-Dartmouth moves to 2-0 on the year and will play tomorrow's opening match versus Union College at noon.

In the day's first match, WPI outlasted Union 2-0 on a pair of goals from Brendan Nemes. Nemes shot a laser from about thirty yards away that beat Union goalie John Weitzman in the right corner just under the crossbar. WPI controlled most of the play in the first half, but didn't put much of an attack on goal, in fact; the teams only put three shots on goal between them in the first half.

Union opened up their game in the second half and was pressing for the equalizer from the mid-point of the half on. WPI was opportunistic however; in the eighty-first minute Brien Hard sent a ball into the box from about forty-five yards out; the ball got over the Union defense and Nemes collected the pass and deposited it in the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.

The game would end by the same score as WPI moves to 5-0 on the season. Connor Hoeckele made three stops to earn the win for the Engineers. Union suffers their first defeat of the season and is now 2-1-1. Weitzman took the defeat for the Dutchmen. Carl Faber had five shots on goal for Union.