(Portions of this release used courtesy of Babson College Sports Information)
BABSON PARK, Mass. – Senior captain Chris Hartmann (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) scored two first-half goals—both off corner kicks from junior Geoff Hackett (Medfield, Mass.)—and senior goalie Joe Simon (Pittsfield, Mass.) made seven saves to lead the Wentworth Institute of Technology Leopards to a 2-1 victory over the WPI Engineers in the season opener for both squads and the second game of the 2007 Babson Invitational Men’s Soccer Tournament at Hartwell-Rogers Field. The win was the 100th career victory for 11th-year head coach Bob Long (Brockton, Mass.).
Wentworth built a 2-0 lead the first half, as Hackett twice successfully served corner kicks to Hartmann, who opened the 2007 season with a four-point effort. The first came just 2:25 into the game, when Hackett's corner rolled all the way through the box to a streaking Hartmann, who knocked it in for the game's first score. The two hooked up again at 19:36, when Hartmann headed Hackett’s corner kick past WPI keeper Steve Hoffer (Lake Placid, N.Y.) to make it 2-0.
WPI cut its deficit in half early in the second session, as junior Jason Gray (Carver, Mass.) picked up a loose ball at midfield and sparked a 2-on-1 break. After carrying the ball all the way into the box, Gray sent a perfect cross to junior Ben Gilde (Manchester, N.H.), who converted the breakaway feed for the Engineers’ first goal at 51:35.
The two teams played evenly throughout the remainder of the contest, with WPI’s best chance coming when senior David Zuniga (Cromwell, Conn.) hit a glancing header that bounced near the left post before being cleared off the goal line by a Wentworth defender with 25 minutes remaining. Freshman Thomas Cucinotta (Easton, Mass.) would provide the Engineers with another opportunity when he fired a shot from 25 yards out, but Simon made a clean catch just inside the left post to preserve the lead.
Hoffer finished with two saves in defeat for WPI. The Engineers will face Salve Regina Saturday at 2:00 p.m., while Wentworth will play host Babson at Noon. In the first game of the tournament Babson blanked Salve Regina, 4-0.
Beginning his 11th season as Wentworth’s head coach, Long has amassed a 100-77-4 (.564) record. A two-time (2000, 2006) The Commonwealth Coast Conference Coach of the Year, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the Leopards before taking the head coaching reigns, including in 1996 when Wentworth won its only conference soccer championship.
Soccer Box Score (Final) 2007 Wentworth Soccer Wentworth vs WPI (08/31/07 at Babson Park, Mass.) Wentworth (1-0-0) vs. Goals by period 1 2 Tot WPI (0-1-0) ------------------------------- Date: 08/31/07 Attendance: 120 Wentworth........... 2 0 - 2 Weather: WPI................. 0 1 - 1 Wentworth WPI Pos ## Player Sh G A Pos ## Player Sh G A -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- GK 31 Joe Simon........... - - - GK 1 Steve Hoffer........ - - - 6 Nick Maryanopolis... 1 - - 2 Jonathan Zwirko..... 2 - - 7 Ben Hamlin.......... 2 - - 3 Ben Gilde........... 2 1 - 8 Geoff Hackett....... - - 2 4 Tommy Zajac......... - - - 10 Kyle Nasman......... 1 - - 8 Timothy Lontz....... 1 - - 11 Pat Flynn........... - - - 9 Rens Hayes.......... 1 - - 14 Dan Hester.......... 1 - - 10 David Zugina........ 1 - - 15 Kevin Neilan........ - - - 11 Brandon Finzel...... 2 - - 18 Matt Martins........ 2 - - 22 Dominic DeChiara.... - - - 21 Joe Carroll......... 1 - - 24 Chris Lyons......... - - - 24 Chris Hartmann...... 7 2 - 25 Tyler Carroll....... - - - ---------- Substitutes ---------- ---------- Substitutes ---------- 2 Taylor Webber....... - - - 5 Thomas Cucinotta.... 2 - - 3 Jeff Dube........... - - - 7 Evan Demers-Peel.... 1 - - 4 Kyle Becker......... 1 - - 12 Jason Gray.......... - - 1 16 Dario Correia....... - - - 13 Wade Mitchell-Evans. - - - 17 Ben Nasman.......... - - - 18 Mike Ford........... - - - 23 Nevin Barton........ 1 - - Totals.............. 12 1 1 Totals.............. 17 2 2 Wentworth WPI ## Player MIN GA Saves ## Player MIN GA Saves --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- 31 Joe Simon........... 90:00 1 7 1 Steve Hoffer........ 90:00 2 2 Shots by period 1 2 Tot Saves by period 1 2 Tot ------------------------------- ------------------------------- Wentworth........... 8 9 - 17 Wentworth........... 2 5 - 7 WPI................. 3 9 - 12 WPI................. 0 2 - 2 Corner kicks 1 2 Tot Fouls 1 2 Tot ------------------------------- ------------------------------- Wentworth........... 4 4 - 8 Wentworth........... 15 6 - 21 WPI................. 4 1 - 5 WPI................. 9 9 - 18 SCORING SUMMARY: GOAL Time Team Goal Scorer Assists Description ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 2:25 WIT Chris Hartmann (1) Geoff Hackett - Corner kick 2. 19:36 WIT Chris Hartmann (2) Geoff Hackett - Corner kick 3. 51:35 WPI Ben Gilde (1) Jason Gray CAUTIONS AND EJECTIONS: YC-WIT #14 (47:22); YC-WPI #5 (57:32); YC-WIT #10 (61:56); YC-WPI #10 (86:15) Officials: Offsides: Wentworth 1, WPI 2. 2007 Babson Invitational Tournament - Game 2