October 24, 2007
Eagles Go Out With A Victory Song, Finally Solve Raiders, 1-0

Nashua -- Looking to close out the 2007 season on the best possible note, the Daniel Webster men’s soccer team ended up singing a victory song and left their long time nemesis singing the blues.

Senior Danny Haynes, appearing in his final collegiate contest, knocked home the final score of his career at one of the most dramatic moments possible, burying an Andre Garcia feed with just 42 seconds to play in regulation to give the Eagles a 1-0 victory over their cross-town rivals Wednesday night.

The win offered a number of reasons for the Eagles to walk away smiling. First, the win helped the Eagles avoid a winless conference campaign in this, their final season in the GNAC. It also helped wash away some of the tough tastes the 2007 season leaves, as a young Eagles squad, under first year Head Coach Bill Lawler, finished with a much closer-than-it-appeared s 2-13-2 overall record. Consider, after all, that the Eagles dropped nine one-goal decisions in 2007, including two overtime affairs and posted its lowest team GAA in program history.

Further, the win enabled the Eagles to send a fond farewell to GNAC play. The Eagles depart the conference to join the New England Collegiate Conference next season.

Finally, and most significantly, the win marked the first ever victory for the Eagles over the Raiders, dating back to 1995.

Aside from Haynes’ heroics, fellow senior Craig Van Tuyl also put forth a memorable performance on his final collegiate stage, sparkling with a season high 12 saves as he retired as one of the most prolific goalkeepers in program history.

Along with Haynes and Van Tuyl, the victory sent fellow seniors Kiernan Thorne, Tim Chrzaszcz, Gregory Phillips and Tyler Smith out on a winning note.

Rivier finished its season 5-11 overall, 3-7 in GNAC play.