Men’s Soccer Bested at Johnson & Wales, 4-1

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – In its first road GNAC match of 2019, Suffolk men's soccer fell to Johnson & Wales, 4-1, Saturday afternoon at Scots Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 1 | Johnson & Wales 4
RECORDS: Suffolk (1-2-1, 0-1-0 GNAC) | Johnson & Wales (3-2-0, 0-0-0 GNAC)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
JWU did the damage first in the game as JP Rioux put away a goal in the 23rd minute with help from Nick Gutekunst. Suffolk attempted to clear the rock out of the corner, but the ball was mishandled and the Wildcats took advantage. Gutekunst set up Rioux with a quick touch in the box.  

The Wildcats' midway strike was the lone marker over the first set of 45 minutes as the remainder of the opening half was played back-and-forth in the midfield.  

Nearly 10 minutes out of the locker room Garrett Groeling added to the hosts advantage with an unassisted goal. Steven Lopez came out from between the pipes to defend and attempt, but the ball rebounded in Groeling's favor and the 2-0 score in the Wildcats' favor came in the 56th minute.  

Suffolk had a golden opportunity as JWU was whistled for a handball in the box, which gave Jack O'Connor a penalty kick. Austin Scoggin's gloves gobbled up O'Connor's attempt to keep the blue-and-gold off the board.  

The cleansheet did not remain long though, as Tucker Mee eliminated the shutout with his first goal of the season in the 75th minute. The junior capitalized off a shot that glanced off of Scoggin to slice the margin in half.  

While Suffolk attempted to pull back and level the playing field, JWU put more distance between the foes. The margin grew back to two when Riley McNicholas scored an unassisted strike with 9:54 remaining in regulation. With time dwindling the Rams pressed looking to get back into the match, which gave Gutekunst the chance to add insurance with less than a minute to play.  

KEEPINGS UP WITH THE KEEPERS

• Lopez slipped to 0-1-0 on the year after producing a three-save effort. 
• Scoggin improved to 4-2-0 in net for the Wildcats behind a three-save afternoon.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Mee was responsible for the Rams' lone goal. 
• JWU held the advantage in shots, 17-11, including a 7-4 edge in shots on target. 
• The Wildcats had five corner changes compared to the Rams two.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Mee's first goal of the season is the third of his career.  

POST-GAME PIC
  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk is back on the friendly confines of the James A. Sartori Stadium pitch at East Boston Memorial Park Wednesday, Sept. 25 as the Rams entertain Norwich in a 7 p.m. midweek match.