BRIDGEWATER, Va. — Bridgewater College grabbed the lead early in the first half and the Eagles went on to defeat the Averett University men's soccer team 3-0 in non-conference action.
 
Averett (2-8) had a chance to take the lead at the 9:04 mark when freshman David Cuperman broke through the Eagles' defense and had a good look, but goalkeeper Mark Davis denied his attempt.
 
Just over two minutes later, Bridgewater (3-6-1) grabbed the advantage when Alex Farrington dribbled around the Cougars' back line and found the back of the net for a 1-0 Bridgewater lead.
 
The Eagles added their second goal in the 13th minute when Renato Grgic took a pass from Connor Henderson and buried his shot from outside the 18-yard line. The Cougars nearly got on the board at the 26:38 mark, but Davis was able to make the play on a shot from senior Brian Benitez.  Averett nearly tied the game with a series of shots near the end of the first period, but a little bad luck fell on the Cougars, keeping them down by two going into the break.
 
Averett had another strong scoring opportunity in the 74th minute when sophomore Tobias Andreasson ripped a shot at Davis, but Davis was able to answer the call, keeping Bridgewater in front 2-0. Still battling late in the game, the Cougars had two good looks on goal but were unable to find the mark.
 
Jose Rodriguez rounded out the scoring for the Eagles when he took a pass from Logan McGlynn off a corner kick and found pay dirt.
 
Senior goalkeeper John Matrisciano recorded five saves for the Cougars on the evening.
 
Averett resumes conference play on Oct. 10 when it travels to Montgomery, Alabama, to do battle with Huntingdon College at 4:30 p.m.