The Mount Ida College men's soccer team dropped another tough loss in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play falling 4-1 in hosting Norwich University Saturday afternoon in Northfield, Vermont. The Mustangs fall to 0-11 on the year.
The Cadets held a 3-0 advantage at halftime. Less than five minutes into the opening frame, sophomore Garrett Shufelt gave Norwich the lead they would hold the rest of the game. Following up with back-to-back goals in the 31st and 37th minute was junior Ryan Robertson, as freshmen Eric Weir and Zach MacMillon earned the assists, each on one of his goals.
The second half proved to be a much harder fought battle than the first 45 minutes of play had turned out to be. Just two minutes into the second frame, Mustangs' freshman Kevin Custodio (Dartmouth, MA/Greater New Bedford Voc. Tech) netted his first collegiate goal, assisted by classmate Steve MacDonald (Medford, MA/Arlington Catholic).
Norwich earned a free kick in the 63rd minute of action, choosing to run their play immediately as Mount Ida set up a defensive wall. Senior Roger Motaze placed a beautiful ball past an unexpected Mustangs' goalie, giving Norwich their fourth and final goal of the game.
A new level of intensity was soon achieved on behalf of both teams, as the ref counted the goal. Less than a minute after the play, Mustangs' senior Justin Murphy was handed a straight red card at midfield, while minutes later, Cadets' sophomore Jake Leclaire was served a yellow card.
For Mount Ida, junior Steve Enright (South Kingston, RI/South Kingston) made five saves. In goal for the Cadets, freshman Alex Toomey improved his game record to 6-4-2, making six saves against the Mustangs.