Men's Soccer Edged By Daniel Webster

NASHUA, N.H. – A record-breaking season for the Daniel Webster men's soccer program will carry them into the NECC championship tournament with a first round bye for the first time in three seasons.

Bolstered by a stingy team defense and rookie Aaron Esparza's (Dover, N.H.) unassisted goal three minutes into the second half, the host Eagles held off regular season champion Elms, 1-0 in treacherous weather conditionsSaturday at Eagle Field.

The win broke the single-season mark for victories as DWC improved to 13-5-1 overall, besting the 12-6-1 squads of both 2009 and 2010.

The Eagles, wo went 9-1 over their final 10 contests, picked up the second seed for the six-team tournament and will host a semifinal on Friday, November 7^th, tentatively scheduled for 2:00 p.m. against the winner of the No. 3 seed Lesley and No. 6 seed Newbury quarterfinal contest slated for Tuesday, November 4^th. DWC earned the second seed over Lesley by virtue of a 4-2 win decision over the Lynx on October 18^th.

Elms, which entered Saturday's game having already clinched the top seed, will host either Mitchell or Regis on Fridayin another semifinal tilt.

The championship is slated for Sunday, November 9^th at 2:00 p.m. at the highest remaining seed with a berth in the NCAA tournament at stake.

DWC, which last earned a first-round bye in 2011, will be seeking its first return trip to the finals since 2010, which was also its most recent tournament championship.

DWC's team defense helped stifle Elms to the tune of eight total shots and just three on goal as Eagle net minder Sean Hamilton (Brookline, N.H.) stopped all three shots on the way to his fifth shutout of the season.

The red and white posted 23 total shots putting 16 in goal but were stymied by the trio of junior Ryan Harris (Brandon, Mo.), Christian Kostka (Oxford, Conn.) and Nick Pennant (St. Andrew, Jamaica) who combined for 15 saves.

Harris was particularly strong in his 30 minutes of work in the first half, stoning Eagle forward Ian Hutchinson (Litchfield, N.H.) on three occasions including two point blank stops seconds apart in the 24^th.

DWC finally broke through in the 47th as Esparza picked up aa loose ball, cut to the right side, pulled in at a deep angle and rifled a high arching attempt that just caught the far left top corner past Kostka for the eventual gamer – his team-leading ninth strike of the season. It also marked the highest single-season goal output for an eagle since Spencer Bernard '12 posted eight goals during the 2011 campaign and tied Bernard for second most in a single season. Bernard posted nine goals as a rookie in 2009.

Elms' best chance came in the 40^th as junior midfielder Lorenzo Rolocut (Somers, Conn.) had a great look from 20 yards out but Hamilton knocked down a low twirling shot on the right post to preserve the scoreless tie at the time.

ELMS SOCCER