Junior captain Seba Niehenke's first goal of the season, along with a University of New England own goal, provided all the cushion Bates men's soccer would need as the Bobcats blanked the visiting Nor'easters, 2-0, Monday night under the lights of Garcelon Field.
After a scoreless first session, Bates needed only 29 seconds (45:29) to erase the stalemate at the start of the second stanza. Niehenke (Morristown, N.J.) one-timed a cross from senior captain Alec Szwarcewicz (Newton, Mass.) off a UNE defender and into the back of the net to put the home team ahead, 1-0. An unfortunate defensive miscue at 70:18 resulted in the dreaded own goal for the Nor'easters as the Bobcats weathered the storm en route to their second win of the young season (2-1).
UNE falls to 0-4-1 with the setback.
Bates dominated the shot column with a healthy 25-3 advantage (12-0 on frame). First-year Nico Hessel (Brattleboro, Vt.) moves to 2-1 in net for the Bobcats, despite not needing a single save in the win. In contrast, Triston O'Hagan did all he could to keep his mates in the match with his 10 saves over 60:00.
The garnet and white looks ahead to Wednesday for its 4:30 p.m. non-conference home contest vs. Husson University.
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