Recap
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Freshman Benjamin DeMaio scored the game-winning goal with less than 11 minutes in regulation to lift the No. 5 seed Nichols College men's soccer team to a 3-2 win over No. 4 Western New England Saturday afternoon in the Quarterfinals of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament at Suprenant Field.

The No. 4 seeded Bison got on the board in the 27th minute to open up the scoring thanks to freshman Nikolas Padilla who scored his second goal of the season with an assist from senior Corey McEvoy to give Nichols the 1-0 lead. The Bison quickly made it 2-0, with a goal from senior and First Team All-CCC member Jacob Sargent just 18 seconds after Padilla's goal. Padilla picked up the assist on the second Bison goal as well.

The Golden Bears answered with a goal of their own right before halftime with a 43rd minute goal from Connor Prindle. WNE came out of the break and tied the game at a goal apiece in the 53rd minute, from Matt Remillard, his fourth of the season. The game remained knotted at one two goals apiece until the 79th minute when freshman Demaio scored his first collegiate goal to secure the Bison's 3-2 win and advance them to the CCC Semifinals. Sophomore James Chasco-Dimauro was credited with the assist on the game-winning goal.
 
Three things you need to know…
-With today's win, the Bison advance to the CCC Semifinals for the first time since 2014, when they won their second CCC Championship.
-Today's win in Springfield was the first for the Bison since 2000 and the first-ever for head coach Chris Traina.
-Senior Juan Carlos De La Cruz made seven saves in the winning effort.
 
Quote
"There was no quit in us today. What we did today defines Nichols Soccer. The heart and soul of these players is something that was adopted from the teams before them. It's not taught. We look forward to preparing for our trip to Newport!" -Nichols head coach Chris Traina
 
Next Match
Tuesday, November 5 @ No. 1 Salve Regina, 5:00 p.m.