DUDLEY, Mass. (Nov. 4) – The Nichols College men's soccer team is set to host the The Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship for the first time in program history Saturday as the top-seeded Bison take on the third-seeded Gordon College Fighting Scots on Michael J. Vendetti Field at 1 p.m.
Admission for the game is set at $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and children 12 and under, and $1 for students with valid college identification. The Nichols College Student Government Association (SGA) will pay the admission cost for Nichols students with valid ID. Tickets will only be sold at the gate.
Nichols College Radio, WNRC 95.7-FM will broadcast the game in the Dudley, Mass., area and live online here. Live stats will be available here.
The Bison return to the TCCC title game for the second time in three seasons after edging fourth-seeded Salve Regina in penalty kicks Wednesday afternoon in Dudley. Neither team found the back of the net through 110 minutes of play, but senior Matthew Nash (West Springfield, Mass.) clinched the game in the fifth round of the shootout for the Bison.
Nichols carries a program-best record of 15-3-2 into the championship game and has outscored opponents, 50-9 on the season. The Bison have posted a record 13 shutouts, backed by junior goalkeeper Brendan Hamilton (North Attleboro, Mass.), who stands as Nichols' career leader with 18 clean sheets to his name.
The Bison boast a significant home field advantage this season with a 10-1-1 record in Dudley, a 2-1 loss to Curry to close out the regular season. Nichols has allowed just five goals at home while averaging 2.58 goals per game on offense.
Sophomore midfielder/forward Scott Coderre (Thompson, Conn.) leads Nichols in points (28) and goals (12), while first year midfielder Brendan Whitson (Holden, Mass.) is a key contributor with 11 goals and an assist in just seven starts. The depth the Bison bring is immense, with seven players recording double-digit point totals this season, but one of the main keys to Nichols' success is its defense which has held opponents to fewer than 12 shots per game and has given up only 78 corners all year.
Gordon knocked off three-time defending champion and second seed Western New England College, 3-1, in the semifinals Wednesday, and is riding a nine-game unbeaten streak into the title match. The Scots have allowed opponents only eight goals this season on 83 shots on goal, allowing goalkeeper Alex Sosler (Willoughby, Ohio) to post eight of the team's 12 shutouts to go with his league-low 0.32 goals against average and .919 save percentage. Senior midfielder Joel Spruance (Ledyard, Conn.) leads the team offensively with 19 points on eight goals and three assists, while freshman midfielder Andrew Vandervoort (Memphis, Tenn.) has added eight tallies and a pair of helpers for 18 points.
Gordon is 4-2-2 on the road this year after starting out 0-2-2. The Scots return to the championship game for the first time since 2005, a 1-0 loss at Roger Williams. Nichols' last championship appearance was in 2008, a 3-1 loss to Western New England as the tournament's seventh seed.
