The Mount Ida College men's soccer team captured their first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory over visiting Rivier College by a score of 1-0 Sunday afternoon on a gorgeous day in Newton, Massachusetts. The Mustangs improve to 2-2 overall for 2011 with a conference slate of 1-0 while the Raiders fall in their first contest of the season standing at 0-1 for both conference and overall slates.
Neither team could convert in the first half with Mount Ida dominating the offensive side of the field registering 15 total shots in the stanza while the visitors spent most of their time in the defensive end with only four shots on net.
Mustang freshman forward Michael Templeton (Charlestown, NH/Fall Mountain) registered his second goal of the season in the 61st minute of play giving his squad the 1-0 advantage that would eventually turn into a victory.
Templeton ripped a shot from just inside the 18 yard box that hit the cross bar and ricocheted to the middle of the box. Templeton was smart enough to follow his rebound and ripped a volleyed shot into the right corner for the only goal of the contest.
The Raiders didn't have an answer for the Mustangs and were only able to get off one shot in the second half while the hosts continued to pound the offensive side of the field adding 19 shots for the second stanza.
Mount Ida freshman goaltender Mat Pils (Monroe, CT/Masuk) didn't get much action stopping only three Raider shots on the day. Rivier junior keeper Matthew St. Peter (Colchester, VT/Colchester) had a busy day and was solid except for the one blemish adding 10 saves.
The Mustangs are back in action this coming Tuesday against visiting non-conference Curry College with game time slated for 3:30 p.m.