SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's soccer team dropped a tough 3-2 decision to Western New England University on Sunday afternoon at Suprenant Field.
The visiting Bears fall to 0-2 on the season while the host Golden Bears improve to 1-1.
Senior forward Charlie Argyle (Marshfield, Mass.) sparked the Western New England offense with a pair of goals, while senior forward Corey Brown (Somers, Conn.) recorded one goal and one assist.
Bridgewater State received one goal each from senior forward Justin Borges (Milford, Mass.) and junior defender Stanislaus Sokolov (Reading, Mass.).
In net, Western New England senior Dylan Husted (South Deerfield, Mass.) made five saves, while Bridgewater State senior Nate Morgado (Dartmouth, Mass.) turned aside seven shots.
Western New England jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute, when senior defender Bryan Doyle (Southington, Conn.) sent a cross from the left side towards the far post and Argyle was able to head it past Morgado.
Leading 1-0 at halftime, the Golden Bears doubled their advantage in the 53rd minute as Argyle redirected a short pass from Brown right in front of the net for his second goal of the game.
Bridgewater State broke through on a goal by Borges at the 59:07 mark. Freshman forward Will Halben (Attleboro, Mass.) sent a ball from midfield which Borges collected right outside the 18. Borges chipped the crossbar and found the back of the net to cut the deficit to 2-1. THe assist marked Halben's first collegiate point.
Western New England restored its two-score cushion (3-1) with 7:40 to play when Brown received the ball near the top of the box, got by a Bears' defender and tucked a shot past Morgado.
An unassisted goal by Sokolov just over two minutes later cut the visitor's deficit to one (3-2), but the Golden Bears were able to hold on down the stretch to pick up their first win of the season despite a controvsial finish.
Bridgewater State appeared to tie the score at 3-3 with 2:34 remaining, but a controversial call by the referee and linesman nullified the goal. A throw-in by in by freshman Joseph Madden Jr. went to the feet of Borges at the six who turned and shot but was stopped by the WNEU goalkeeper. The rebound fell to sophomore defender Liam Lenihan (Rockland, Mass.) who tucked the ball into the back of the net with 2:34 left. Lenihan, however, was questionably ruled offside on the initial Borges' shot.
The Golden Bears outshot the Bears 19-8, while the two teams were even with three corner kicks each.
Western New England (1-1) will be on the road for its next two matches, beginning with a Friday night (9/6) contest at Worcester State. Bridgewater State (0-2) will look to pick up its first win of the season on Wednesday, as the Bears return home to host Salve Regina.