Wesleyan (Conn.) knocks off Seahawks, 8-3

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - Sophomore Teddy Citrin netted four goals and added an assist as Wesleyan University (1-0) defeated visiting Salve Regina (121), 8-3, in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Wesleyan, ranked 11th in the USILA poll, will host N.Y. Maritime Wed., March 9 in its next start while Salve Regina will be at Western New England the same day in a TCCC contest.

It took nearly the entire first period for the Cardinals to break the ice. Citrin scored his first goal with just 12 seconds remaining in the first stanza on a sharp-angled, shoulder-high shot from the left side. Wesleyan tacked on four more in the second period for a 5-0 halftime lead and carried an 8-0 margin into the final quarter.

Salve Regina finally cracked the Wesleyan armor with 4:40 remaining as sophomore Chris Walker fired home a shot from the right side past the third Cardinal netminder used in the contest, freshman Mark Simmons, who also made three saves while playing the final 7:18 of the contest. Walker added the Seahawks final goal with 32 to go while sophomore Brendan Carroll had the other SRU score. Walker leads the Seahawks with five goals this season.

With starting keeper sophomore Grant Covington holding Salve Regina at bay for 40 minutes while making 11 saves, senior Colin Campbell covered the net for 12 minutes of shutout work between the third and fourth quarters without needing to make a stop. Freshman Chris Connors went the distance in the Salve Regina goal, collecting 15 saves along the way in a solid effort.

Though it took the Cardinals more than 14 minutes to score in the first period, they upped the gap to 2-0 just 32 seconds into the second period as Citrin converted a senior Jon Killeen pass to the middle into a tally. Killeen, who finished the game with two goals and two assists for four points, returned the favor at the 7:55 mark, scoring on a low shot off a Citrin pass. Sophomore John Froats and junior Pete Modera closed out the second-period scoring for the 5-0 Wesleyan lead. A pair of Citrin goals just 12 second apart early in the third stanza followed by a Kileen marker 2:20 later put the finishing touches on Wesleyan's scoring, spotting the host its 8-0 bulge with 25 minutes left. Wesleyan substituted freely the rest of the way as 34 Cardinals saw action, compared with 21 for Salve Regina.

Courtesy of Wesleyan (Conn.) sports information