ZARRAGA SCORES TWICE IN, 2-1, WIN AT WESTERN CONNECTICUT

Danbury, Conn.-Rhode Island College used a pair of goals from senior forward José Zarraga (Providence, RI) to earn a come from behind victory over Little East Conference rival Western Connecticut, 2-1, in men’s soccer action on Saturday afternoon.

The Anchormen (5-4, 2-1 LEC) put the pressure on early, with sophomore forward Komla Dogbey (Providence, RI) snapping a header on net, which was turned aside by Western (4-4-1, 0-2-1 LEC) sophomore goalkeeper Austin Tierney (East Hampton, CT) in the 11th minute.

The Colonials turned the tables, applying pressure on the RIC defense until they finally broke through in the 30th minute freshman forward Chauncey Allers (Wilton, CT) found the back of the net off a feed from sophomore back Lucas Saunders (Middletown, CT).

The Anchormen wasted no time, however, knotting the game at 1-1 just 2:28 later when Zarraga notched his first of the game off a feed from freshman midfielder Dennis Vazquez (Providence, RI). Both goalkeepers made sure that the game would remain even heading in to the break, with each making key saves late in the stanza.   RIC junior goaltender Chris Moura (Rumford, RI) and Tierney each turned aside two shots in the frame. RIC was outshot, 8-5, in the half, while holding on to a slight, 2-1, edge in corner kicks.   The second half played out much like the first, a back and forth battle with each team recording scoring chances. That was the case until the 67:11 mark when RIC broke through and took the lead. Following a corner kick by freshman midfielder Steven Duncan (Barrington, RI), Dogbey was able to find Zarraga who found the back of the net to give RIC the 2-1 advantage.   Neither team was able to break through the solid defense for the remaining 22:49 and RIC was able to escape with a key LEC victory.   Moura (5-3) made five saves in the victory with Tierney (2-4-1) stopping three in the loss. Each team registered 12 shots on the day with RIC holding a 9-3 advantage in corner kicks.   In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will host Curry on Wednesday, Oct. 7 (6 p.m.).