Box Score

BEVERLY, Mass. -  Senior Fred Willard (Webster, Mass.) and junior Michael Perry (Plainville, Mass.) each scored first-half goals to send the Nichols College men's soccer team to a 2-0 win over Endicott College in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Wednesday afternoon at Endicott Stadium.

Junior Jeremy Nash (West Springfield, Mass.) made six saves for the Bison (10-1-4) to pick up his ninth win of the season and his fourth shutout. The win extends Nichols' win streak to three and unbeaten streak to six (5-0-1).   

Perry got things rolling for the Bison at the 24:55 mark of the first half, taking a direct kick from 25 yards out and putting into the left side of the net past the Gulls sophomore goalkeeper Austin Peluso (Farmington, Conn.).

Minutes later, Gulls sophomore Sebastian Rozo (Stamford, Conn.) tried to answer back as he ripped a shot at Nash, but the ball just sailed high to keep them off the board. At 29:05, Nichols sophomore Tiago Prazeres (West Hartford, Conn.) blasted a shot from about 15 yards out, but Peluso was able to make a save to keep it a one-goal game.

Less than five minutes later, Willard capitalized on a defensive miscue and scored his second goal of the season from five yards out to give the Bison the lead 2-0 going into the half.

The final scoring opportunity for the Gulls came at 86:59 when senior midfielder Bobby Durben (Stow, Mass.) sent a cross to junior Abdulla Al Khalifa (Riffa, Bahrain) in the middle of the 18. Al Khalifa went up for the bicycle kick, but the ball went high.

Endicott (8-8-0, 3-4-0) was led in shots by senior midfielder Alex Elia (Somers, Conn.) and his classmate Durben with four shots apiece.
 
The Bison outshot the Gulls on the afternoon 22-16. Freshman David Melanson (Simsbury, Conn.) led all Bison with three shots. Peluso talliedeight saves.

The Bison host Eastern Nazarene in a CCC match on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at the Nichols Soccer Field. They will honor their four senior sprior to the match. Endicott travels to play conference rival University of New England on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.