Nichols Edged by WNE 1-0 in CCC Title Match
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (Nov. 5) – Senior Austin Santolini (Agawam, Mass.) delivered the decisive goal as top-seeded Western New England Golden Bears triumphed 1-0 over #3 Nichols in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Men's Soccer Championship match on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Suprenant Field.
With the win, the Golden Bears, fourth in the NCAA Regional Rankings, improve to 18-3-1 and claim the CCC's automatic bid in the 2011 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship. Nichols finishes the season 12-5-2.
The first half would end in a stalemate with only one shot on goal while Western New England took three of the four corner kicks. Sophomore Pat Gaumond (Holden, Mass.) had the best Bison opportunity of the frame at 26:24 as his strike from just beyond the 18-yard box went just wide. Senior netminder Brendan Hamilton (North Attleboro, Mass.) would face a shot by sophomore Matt Wysocki (Somers, Conn.) with just over 5 minutes remaining in the opening stanza.
After the intermission, senior Danny Smith (Verona, N.J.) hit the right post at 48:57 as he attempted to even the score as he launched the ball from outside the box. Junior Shawn DaCruz (Ludlow, Mass.) took aim at the Nichols keeper in the 62nd minute as Santolini scored the game's lone goal at 68:31 on an assist from senior Shawn Fitzpatrick (Burnt Hills, N.Y.). Less than five minutes later Fitzpatrick had a chance to add to the lead. In the 81st minute, Smith took aim once again at the Western New England keeper.
On the defensive end, the Golden Bears blocked three shots, while the Nichols backs blocked one.
Sophomore keeper Domenick Viliano (Bronxville, N.Y.) faced a pair of shots in the win as the Golden Bears held a 7-4 advantage on corner kicks.
Hamilton made three stops on the day while the Bison held a slim 12-11 advantage on shots.
The loss marks the final match for Hamilton, Smith, Eric Kelly (Dover Plains, N.Y.), George Quireyns (Holbrook, Mass.) and David Johnson (Canterbury, Conn.). The five student-athletes helped the Bison to the CCC Championship in 2010 while posting a four-year mark of 50-26-6 overall and 29-16-3 in the conference.
