Box Score BRISTOL, R.I. – The seventh-seeded Nichols College men's soccer team pulled off the upset over the second-seeded Roger Williams in the opening round of The Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship Tournament with a 1-0 victory Saturday afternoon. The win marks the Bison's first over the Hawks since 1997, and propels Nichols into the TCCC semifinals for the first time in 11 seasons.
Kyle Brockaway (Lebanon, N.H.) scored the game-winning goal for the Bison in the 81st minute, taking advantage of a loose ball in the box and chipping a short volley just over the keeper's head.
Defense was a key component in the game for both teams, limiting clear shots on target. Nichols sophomore Michael Schell (So. Windsor, Conn.) looked to break the game open late in the first half when he drilled a shot from 25 yards out, but his shot careened off the corner of the post.
A clear example of the tight-knit defense came from David Johnson (Canterbury, Conn.), who headed out a shot from Dan Saccoccio going towards the back of the net.
Brendan Hamilton (North Attleboro, Mass.) earned the win, making four saves on the day in his third clean sheet for the Bison. Peter Plate suffered the loss with two saves in the game.
Nichols (10-8-1) advances to the semifinals Wednesday afternoon and will face Curry College, which defeated Gordon, 3-2, in the quarterfinals. The Bison last faced the Colonels in the postseason in 1995, dropping a first-round decision, 3-2.
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