New London, Conn. ­ Making the first start of his career, freshman netminder Alistair Richardson (Tolland, Conn.) registered a career-high 11 saves but it was not enough as visiting Clark University dropped a 3-0 decision to Coast Guard Academy in New England Women's And Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's soccer action on Saturday.

For the host Bears, Lukas Benedetto recorded his third goal of the season as they improved to 4-3-1 while Clark falls to 2-6-1 having dropped five straight games and six of their last seven.

Coast Guard dominated possession in the opening half, holding a 17-2 advantage in shots (9-1 on goal) while registering three corners to Clark's none.

The first good scoring chance of the match came in the eighth minute when a 30-yard shot from sophomore Alexander Lane brought the crowd to their feet, but the attempt just under the crossbar was turned away by Richardson. 

The Bears had another good opportunity in the 30th minute when Benedetto delivered a cross to John Rendon whose header went wide. Benedetto was finally able to break through on his own in the 39th minute. After settling a pass from Lane in the box, he beat Richardson to the far side off the inside of the goal post for a 1-0 advantage.

Matt Epperly doubled the Coast Guard lead with his goal in the 52nd minute. Following a failed cross attempt he was able to collect the ball off the defender's feet and beat Richardson to the far side for the 2-0 edge.

Just a few minutes later, in the 57th minute, Kyle Phillips nearly iced the game completely with a shot from just outside the 18-yard box. Richardson, however, was able to deflect it over the crossbar for the Cougars.

Junior goalkeeper Richie Burns only had to make two saves for the Bears to preserve his fourth shutout of the season while improving his record to 4-2-1. One of his saves was spectacular, however. Following a foul in the 75th minute, senior Josh Demers (Warwick, R.I.) let fly with a free kick from about 22 yards out and Burns, at full extension and diving to his right, was able to deflect the ball out of bounds to keep the 2-0 lead.

The final shot totals were 23 for Coast Guard and five for Clark, including a 14-2 advantage in shots on goal, while the Bears had a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks as well.

Clark will look to return to the win column on Wednesday when they travel to the University of New England for a 6:00 p.m. non-conference start.