THE BASICS 
Lesley University, 1 vs Dean College, 3

Records: 
Dean College Bulldogs (1-0, 0-0 GNAC)
Lesley University Lynx (0-1, 0-0 NAC)

Location: Franklin, Mass.

Date: Friday, August 30, 2024

THE LEAD – Junior Chris Tunley (Last Vegas, Nev.) scored a hat trick to power Dean College past visiting Lesley University, 3-1, in the season-opener for both squads on Friday afternoon at the Longley Athletic Complex.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Two minutes into the action, Tunley connected on a give-and-go feed from junior Nate Potter (North Bennington, Vt.) to give Dean the early 1-0 lead.
• After the initial goal, it took eighteen minutes for the Bulldogs to find the back of the net again. In the twentieth minute, Tunley corralled a cross from junior Brian Allen (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) turning to his right foot and finishing with a strike in the left corner. The Bulldogs entered the halftime break leading 2-0.

• Lesley threatened in the second half, scoring a rebound goal off the foot of sophomore Marc Kenny Derac (Waltham, Mass.)  in the 77th minute to put the pressure back on the home squad but Dean responded seven minutes later on a corner kick off the foot of junior Seamus Doherty (Chelmsford, Mass.), that connected with Tunley for a header goal that gave Dean a 3-1 lead to seal the victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Dean Head coach Warren Backman notched his first win with the Bulldogs.
• The Lynx outshot the shots, 9-8, in the second half despite getting outshot in the action 15-13.
• The marks the third consecutive season the sides have opened their season vs. each other with the identical 3-1 result in favor of Dean.
• Dean goalkeeper Jake Godwin (Norwalk, Conn.) played all 90 minutes and finished with five saves while LU senior Josiah Williams (Durham, N.C.) made four stops in the setback.

UP NEXT

• The Bulldogs head to Fitchburg State on Thursday, September 5 for a 4:00 PM road game.
• Lesley returns to the pitch on Sunday, September 1 for a 4:00 PM showdown at Keene State College.

*Some release content courtesy of Dean College Athletic Communications