The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - Western New England College earned a 1-0 victory over Babson College in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship at Wesleyan University on Saturday. Western New England will now take on host Wesleyan, a 2-0 winner over St. Joseph's College of Maine in the earlier game, in the second round on Sunday.

Playing amidst driving rain and an extremely muddy field, both teams struggled to establish an offensive rhythm in the first half. The best chance for either team came in the 33rd minute, as Babson freshman Ayo Iwuagwu had a look at an open net, but his shot was stopped at the goal line by Western New England senior back David Fitzpatrick. Both teams took six shots in the opening frame, but none of Western New England's shots was on net. Senior keeper Kyle Bak stopped three Babson shots in the period.

With field conditions continuing to deteriorate, Western New England broke through in the second half at the 68:46 mark as senior Jay Sabia netted his seventh goal of the year. Sabia corralled a loose ball in the right side of the box and fired it inside the right post to raise his team-leading point total to 21.

Babson barely missed a chance to answer just 14 seconds later, as sophomore Max Walker's shot sailed just over the crossbar after the ensuing kickoff. Babson had also attempted to mount an offensive thrust in the 62nd minute, but a series of passes and attempted shots kept dying in the mud as the rain intensified.

The Beavers had another chance to tie in the 86th minute, as senior Chris Morris hit the underside of the crossbar with a shot from the top of the box. A scrum in front of the net ensued, with Babson attempting to launch another shot and Western New England frantically trying to clear the ball away. After several attempts, Western New England finally succeeded in clearing the ball away. Babson's final chance came at the end of the game, as senior Clint Mason's shot with 12 seconds remaining sailed to the left of the goal.

Babson ended its season at 15-6-1, while Western New England improved to 16-5-3. Babson now stands at 27-14-2 all-time in NCAA Division III tournament play, as the Beavers made their 21st overall tournament appearance in 2009. Western New England, in its sixth tournament appearance, is now 6-4-1 in tournament play.

NOTE: Taken from a Wesleyan University press release. Photos also courtesy of Wesleyan University.

WNEC Upsets Babson Men's Soccer, 1-0, In NCAA Tournament Mudbowl