Todd Shigo had a hand in both goals to power the Skyhawks' upset victory over Le Moyne. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Shigo, White score; McFarlane and strong defense shut out regionally-ranked Dolphins

EASTON, Mass. (October 23, 2010) – The Stonehill College men’s soccer team toppled Le Moyne College 2-0 in a key Northeast-10 Conference victory at home on Saturday. Le Moyne is currently ranked seventh in the East Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), and earlier this season were ranked first nationally in Division II.

Senior Todd Shigo (Naples, Maine/Lake Region) tallied a goal and an assist for the Skyhawks, and junior Michael White (Lisbon, N.H./Lisbon Regional) netted his eighth goal of the season to claim a share of the Northeast-10 scoring lead. Senior goalkeeper Brandon McFarlane (Norwich, Conn./Norwich Free Academy) anchored the Stonehill defensive effort with one save in his career-high fourth shutout of the season.

The Skyhawks were strong offensively out of the gate, pressuring Le Moyne from the opening whistle and putting two quick shots on target as Shigo and senior Michael Bridges (Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich) led the early effort. Shigo set up the first goal in the 32nd minute, drilling a short pass from the right side of the net to White, who put away a shot to the lower left corner for a 1-0 lead. At the other end, McFarlane stopped the only shot Le Moyne would put on target all day, an attempt by junior Jesse Carr (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles), to hold the Dolphins scoreless and keep Stonehill out in front at halftime.

Shigo went on to add an insurance goal of his own after the break. A Stonehill throw-in at the Le Moyne end was corralled by Le Moyne freshman Emmanuel Chanelo (Syracuse, N.Y./Corcoran), and as Chanelo brought the ball up out of the right corner, Shigo picked off a pass, cut back to the center, and lofted a shot to the middle of the net for his first goal of the year and a 2-0 Stonehill advantage.

The Skyhawk defense allowed just two second-half shots to lock out Le Moyne the rest of the way, driven by the efforts of junior Christopher Agan (Niskayuna, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy), who laid out a crucial slide tackle to shut down a Le Moyne breakaway late in the second half, and by increasingly aggressive play out in front of the net by McFarlane.

Stonehill (6-7-1, 4-6-1 NE-10) wraps up the regular season with two games on the road next week, beginning with a visit to Saint Michael’s College on Tuesday at 3 p.m.