MILTON, Mass. – The Curry College men's soccer team tied Springfield College, 1-1 in double overtime, on Wednesday night at the Walter M. Katz Field. The Colonels move to 5-2-1 on the season in the tie. The Pride are now 3-1-4 overall.
The Pride came out strong to start the opening stanza with freshman Harrison Davis (Merrick, N.Y.) taking the first shot just 34 seconds into the match. The Colonels responded with their own just seconds later after a wide strike by senior Nick Gilman (Longmeadow, Mass.). Curry regained possession after a Springfield goal kick and opened the scoring just 2:07 seconds in. Junior Matt Cotnoir (Longmeadow, Mass.) sent a crossing pass into the 18-yard box and Gilman got one touch on it and ripped it into the back of the net. The Prides' junior goalkeeper Billy Schmid (Wethersfield, Conn.) made a diving save but couldn't come up with the stop. The teams battled over the next 43 minutes with Springfield trying to get on the board and Curry attempting to extend their lead. The Pride held a slight advantage in shots, 7-6, however the Colonels' sophomore netminder, Dan Johnson (Easton, Conn.), only saw one on net. Springfield had six shots that went wide or high of the post. Curry forced Schmid to stop four out of their nine. The Pride took five corner kicks while the Colonels' had just one.
It was Curry who took control of the second frame, reeling off two quick back-to-back shots. Gilman had two nice chances but Schmid came up with two big saves. Springfield went on a 6-0 shooting frenzy in a 20-minute span. The Pride struggled to tie the game but four great stops by Johnson and one hitting the crossbar, kept them scoreless. After another Gilman attempt and a beautiful header by senior Darren Smith (Newcastle, Del.) both saved by Schmid, Springfield put one away to even out at one apiece. With 17:14 remaining in the contest, sophomore forward Taylor Gilfoy (Holliston, Mass.) blasted one after a pass from Davis. The Pride kept pressure on Johnson and the Colonel defense with a 5-2 lead in shots to close out regulation but neither team could tally another for the win.
During the first 10-minutes of overtime, Curry had the ball in Springfield's defensive zone for the majority of play. The Colonels had four shots, all which went wide of the net including two corner kick attempts but couldn't capitalize. The Pride was unable to get one off and didn't get a chance at corner. The horn blew, and after a quick intermission, the squads headed back on the field each looking for the win. It was Springfield who controlled most of the 10-minutes in double overtime claiming a 4-2 advantage in shots. The Pride hit the post twice, the second after a header by sophomore Matt Dickman (Paxton, Mass.) with 47 seconds remaining on the clock. The Colonels had one last chance with only two seconds left to play but a wide shot by sophomore Garrett Lemoine (Rutland, Mass.) left the teams with a 1-1 draw.
Curry finished with 21 shots and seven corner kicks. Springfield had 23 shots and nine corners.
Johnson made eight stops in net for the Colonels. Schmid recording nine saves for the Pride.
The Colonels will next be in action when they travel to conference (CCC) opponent, Nichols College on Saturday, September 27 in an 11:00 a.m. game start. Springfield will resume play also on Saturday when they host conference (NEWMAC) opponent, Emerson College for a 12:00 p.m. start.
