MILTON, Mass. – The Curry College men's soccer team opened its conference season with a 2-1 win over Commonwealth Coast Conference opponent Roger Williams on Saturday morning at the Walter M. Katz Field. The Colonels remain undefeated at 5-0 overall and improve to 1-0 in the CCC. The Hawks fell to 3-2-1 overall and 0-1 in the CCC.
The Hawks came out strong to start the opening frame. It took just 27 seconds for Roger Williams to strike first and get on the board. Senior Andrew Carlson (Ridgefield, Conn.) ripped an unassisted top corner shot from 15-yards out past the Colonels sophomore goalkeeper Dan Johnson (Easton, Conn.). It didn't take long for Curry to answer back as they evened the score at one apiece at the 9:39 minute mark. Junior Matt Cotnoir (Longmeadow, Mass.) one-timed the ball into the upper right hand corner of the net over the head of Roger Williams' netminder, senior Tom Mangels (Garden City, N.J.). Both teams battled over the remaining 35 minutes of the half but solid play between the pipes of both keepers kept the game at 1-1 heading into the break.
The Colonels ended the first half with 10 shots, five fouls, two corners and five saves. The Hawks ended the first half with eight shots, five fouls, three corners and six saves.
Most of the second half was controlled by Roger Williams. The Hawks outshot the Colonels 13-5 over the 45 minutes but couldn't land one to break the tie. Curry's defense including Johnson, who made nine saves in net, played with strength and determination. The squads were competing hard with the Colonels receiving eight fouls and called for two yellows while the Hawks had six fouls and one yellow. The game-winner came at the 77th minute of the match. Roger Williams committed a foul inside their defensive box which resulted in a Curry penalty-kick. Junior Rolando Montero (Norwalk, Conn.) was awarded the PK. Rolando stepped up and what looked effortless stuck the ball low into the left corner as Mangles dove to the right side. Over the next 13 minutes the Hawks fought hard to tie it at two and hope for overtime, but the Colonels held on for their fifth consecutive win and first conference victory of the season.
The Colonels finished with 15 shots, 13 fouls and five corner kicks. The Hawks finished with 21 shots, 11 fouls and three corner kicks.
Johnson made an impressive 14 saves in net for the win. Mangles had eight stops in net for the loss.
Curry returns to action during Homecoming weekend on Friday, September 19 when they host CCC opponent Wentworth at 7:00 p.m. Roger Williams travels to M.I.T on Wednesday, September 17 in a 7:00 p.m. game start.
