NEWPORT, R.I. - Senior Bobby Ernst (Needham, Mass.) scored twice as the Salve Regina men's soccer team improved to 4-0 in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) play with a 3-0 shutoutvictory over Curry at Reynolds Field on Saturday evening. The Seahawks are now 9-1-0 overall on the year, while the Colonels slip to 7-4-0 on the season, and 1-2-0 during conference play.
Ernst led the way with his pair of markers, while classmate Jacob Brigandi (Vernon, Conn.)netted his first goal of the season on a free kick for the only other SRU tally. Sophomore Zachary Kraft (Tenafly, N.J.), senior Patrick Vierengel (Armonk, N.Y.), and sophomore Evan Thomas (Mohnton, Pa.) each contributed an assist in the win, while freshman Daniel Stern (Kings Park, N.Y.) made eight saves in net to improve to 7-1-0 in his rookie campaign.
Senior goalie Nick Barber (Pittsfield, Mass.) kept the Colonels in the game with several nice saves,totalling eight stops on the evening.
The Seahawks struck early in the opening period, as Brigandi's free kick at 3:12 was deflected by a Curry defender into the net to put Salve Regina on top, 1-0.
Salve Regina made it 2-0 in the 19th minute when Kraft caught the Curry defense off guard by quickly taking a free kick and passing the ball to Ernst who delivered a blast into the back of the net to extend Salve Regina's lead.
The score remained 2-0 at halftime, with SRU holding a slight 11-10 edge in shots, and the Colonels compiling a 7-2 advantage in corners.
The second half was defensive struggle, with neither team able to break through over the opening 35 minutes of the period.
However, the Seahawks finally managed to score in the 83rd minute, putting the game away when Vierengel's corner kick was deflected by Thomas right to the foot of Ernst who beat the Curry goalkeeper for his second goal of the match, moving the final score to 3-0.
Curry will return to action on Wednesday, hosting UNE at 6:30 p.m., while the Seahawks take to the pitch on Tuesday, welcoming MIT for a 7 p.m. contest at Gaudet Field. (Game Recap Courtesy of Salve Regina Sports Information)
