Box Score FRANKLIN, Mass. – September 8, 2021– Junior Luke Palmer (Windsor Locks, Conn.) converted a penalty kick one minute into the second overtime to give the Dean College men's soccer team a 2-1 victory over Elms in the program's first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest.
The Bulldogs improve to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the GNAC. Dean travels to Albertus Magnus on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Elms suffers its first loss to fall to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in conference action. The Blazers play at Curry on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
The referee pointed to the spot after the Elms goalie was whistled for a dangerous challenge. Palmer stepped up and scored to give the Bulldogs their first-ever GNAC win.
Dean opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when junior Reinorf Kusi (Malden, Mass.) sent a through ball to sophomore Shavar Champagnie (West Yarmouth, Mass.) who scored his first goal of the season into the far left corner of the net.
Elms had a great chance in the 41st minute when Dean was whistled for a foul just outside the box. Sophomore Dante Polletta (Prospect, Conn.) stepped up for the free kick and sent the ball around the wall, but Dean senior goalie Bryce Antoch (Cranston, R.I.) was up to the task and made the save to keep the Bulldogs in front 1-0 heading into halftime.
The visitors knotted the score in the 57th minute when Polletta fired a shot from 30 yards out and bent the ball into the right corner to make the score 1-1. The play was set up by a nice volley from senior Jonathan Roach (Norwalk, Conn.).
The match was back and forth for the remainder of the second half. Elms had a scoring opportunity with 2:30 minutes left in regulation when junior Justin Szwajkowski (Westhampton, Mass.) took a shot on goal that was pushed aside by Antoch to send the match into overtime.
Szwajkowski was at it again in the first overtime session with another great effort that was thwarted by Antoch.
Antoch made 10 saves in the match to improve to 2-1 on the year. Elms keeper Collin Liedke (Newington, Conn.) finished with two saves in the loss.
