NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  - The Norwich University men's soccer team won the MCLA Tournament on Sunday, defeating Curry 2-1 in the championship game. Senior forward Ryan Boyton, who scored the game-winning goal in the 81st minute, was named the event's Most Valuable Player.

Norwich (3-0-0) got on the board first in the 10th minute when the Cadets benefited from an own goal. The goal was scored following a scramble in front, which ensued following Chris Rivet's corner kick.

Boyton increased the NU lead to 2-0 at the 80:29 mark, off an assist from freshman Devin Buoniello. Curry scored its only goal of the contest with 15 seconds to play as Michael Connery tallied an unassisted marker at the 89:45 mark.

Boyton was named the tournament's Offensive MVP after scoring two goals and adding two assists over the weekend.

"It was a very good weekend for us," said NU head coach Kyle Dezotell. "We wanted to win this tournament, and we achieved our goal. We played a very strong match against a good UMass-Dartmouth team on Saturday, and did what we had to do on Sunday against Curry.

"Curry was very organized and had a good game plan," added Dezotell. "They played very well defensively, and sat many players behind the ball so that we could not play with our normal pace.  We were happy with the team, as it put forth the necessary effort to win two tough matches in just over 24 hours.

"We are happy to start the season 3-0, but also know that we face one of our biggest weeks of the season with the upcoming match against Plattsburgh--one of the early season favorites for the National Championship--on Wednesday and a very important match against our GNAC rival Johnson & Wales on Saturday."

Norwich returns to action on Wednesday, Sept. 10, when the Cadets host Plattsburgh State at Howard Field in the team's home opener. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m.