MANSFIELD, Conn. – Sophomore forward Kyle Burbage scored inside the final minute of the first half and one minute into the second to lift the Wesleyan University men's soccer team to a 2-0 non-conference win over Eastern Connecticut State University Wednesday evening at Rick McCarthy Field.
The match was the home-opener for Eastern (0-1-2) and season-opener for Wesleyan, which won for only the second time in the last six matches between the programs. It was the first meeting between the programs in six years, since the teams scored 23 seconds apart late in the game in a 1-1 overtime tie in 2016 at Thomas Nevers Field.
Burbage, who scored only once in 11 matches as a freshman on Wesleyan's 10-3-3 team last year, bodied in sophomore midfielder Soren Tollis' header from the goal line past Eastern junior goalkeeper Dylan Pallanck (Willington) after 44 scoreless first-half minutes, and senior keeper Liam Devanny – who started all 16 matches a year ago -- made three saves to make the lead stand up.
Buoyed by its go-ahead goal with 41.1 seconds left in the first half, Wesleyan continued its surge in the opening minute of the second half when Burbage senior midfielder Phillip Cubeddu gathered a rebound of a shot saved by Pallanck at the right post and slid it in front to Burbage, who knocked it in from six yards. The play originated on a throw-in from sophomore midfielder Zack Burd, which landed on the foot of sophomore midfielder Mateo Neighbors at the top of the box. Neighbors got the ball to Tollis on the right side, whose bid to score near the right post was denied by Pallanck.
Cubeddu also had an assist on Burbage's first goal when his chip from the right side found the head of Tollis, who sent it into the box while moving away from the goal.
Pallanck made four saves before giving way to sophomore Nathan Yeich (Willington) with the Warriors trailing 2-0 with eight minutes left.
Eastern visiting Framingham State University Saturday and Mitchell College next Wednesday before hosting Massachusetts Boston in the Little East Conference opener Sept. 17 at Nevers Field. Defending LEC regular-season and playoff champion Eastern was ranked first in the LEC pre-season poll, UMass Boston third.