RINDGE, N.H. - The Caldwell College men's soccer team officially opened its 2007 season with a 0-0 tie with the University of Bridgeport Saturday afternoon at the Franklin Pierce University Labor Day Classic at Sodexho Field. The tie ends Bridgeport's three-game winning streak, dropping the 17th-ranked Purple Knights to 3-0-1 on the season. The Cougars, who played a scoreless half with 24th-ranked Franklin Pierce on Thursday before the game was called due to lightning, begin the season 0-0-1.

Both teams had scoring chances in the second overtime period. Bridgeport's Gilbert Bayonne took a shot that went just wide of the post with 7:17 remaining. At the other end just two minutes later, junior forward Chad Bennett (Kingston, Jamaica/Campion) bent a shot from 30 yards out that beat goalkeeper Ryan Brooks-Newton but missed the top right corner of the net by inches. Bennett also had a golden opportunity in the last minute of play, but he was called offsides.

Junior goalkeeper John Plaugic (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) made four saves for the Cougars to earn the shutout, while Brooks-Newton stopped two shots for Bridgeport, which held a 10-7 advantage in shots.

The Cougars play at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., on Sunday, Sept. 2 at 2:00 p.m.