DUDLEY, Mass. (Oct. 26) – The Curry College men’s soccer team ended Nichols’ six-game win streak with a 2-1 The Commonwealth Coast Conference victory in the regular-season finale for both teams at Vendetti Field Tuesday evening. The Bison drop just their first home game of the year and dip to 14-3-1 overall and 10-2-1 in TCCC action, but have claimed the top seed of the upcoming TCCC Conference Tournament. Curry concludes its season at 7-11-1 and 4-8-1 in TCCC action.
Nichols will host the eighth seed in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, October 30, advancing to the TCCC Championship Tournament for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
The Colonels were awarded a free kick inches outside the box in the 23rd minute, but Brandon Martins(Attleboro, Mass.) direct kick was blocked by the Nichols line. Curry held a 13-6 overall shot advantage in the stanza, bolstered by a flurry with about 10 minutes left. Both teams had four attempts on net, but neither could solve the other team’s goalkeeper before the break.
Joseph Neves (Norwood, Mass.) threatened in the 52nd minute for the Bison when he ran to a through ball from Brian Filburn Granby, Conn.) and carried on with a breakaway up the far side, but his shot sailed high. Curry countered on the next possession with a pair of attempts, but Bison goalkeeper Brendan Hamilton (North Attleboro, Mass.) came out of the net to thwart both tries.
A team save and a diving stop by Curry keeper James Oliver (Hanover, Mass.) kept the Bison off the scoreboard in the 67th minute as Nichols’ Pat Gaumond (Holden, Mass.) and Mike Schell (South Windsor, Conn.) looked to pot rebounds off a lofting corner kick by Mark Capitanio (Mansfield, Mass.).
Nichols looked to take the lead shortly after as Brendan Whitson (Auburn, Mass.) nailed home a rebound off a shot by Capitanio, but the Bison were waved offside, negating the would-be lead. The Colonels took the momentum downfield and put the ball in the net at 69:16 for a 1-0 advantage.
Devin Sadlers (Somerset, Mass.) sent the ball across the box from the near sideline to Zachary Kumin(Needham, Mass.) who was streaking down the left. Hamilton got a hand on Kumin’s shot, but it fell into the left side of the net.
The Colonels played down a man for the final 12:50 of the game, but extended their lead to two in the 82nd minute when Patrick Dowling (Wrentham, Mass.) sent a shot high into the left corner from the right side of the box from a pass by Dillon Gretemeyer (Marshfield, Mass.).
Nichols cut the lead in half just 12 seconds later when Scott Coderre (Thompson, Conn.) scored his team-leading 12th goal of the season. Whitson played the ball ahead from the far corner of the box and Coderre dribbled ahead before placing it past Oliver at 82:21.
Despite a frantic back-and-forth pace for the remainder of the game, neither team could find the back of the net again. Nichols found itself with several chances late, but the ball was either blocked or went narrowly wide.
Oliver picked up his second win of the season with 10 saves, while Hamilton lost for just the third time this year with seven stops.
(Release Courtesy of Nichols Sports Information)
