Dudley, Mass. (10/18/23) – The Nichols Men's Soccer Team fought to a 0-0 draw in their Commonwealth Coast Conference matchup at home on the Nichols College Soccer Field against the visiting Western New England University Golden Bears.
Nichols now sits at 7-5-2 (2-2-3 CCC) on the year and the Golden Bears are 4-4-6 (4-1-2 CCC) this season.
The match marked a deep rivalry match between the two squads. The Bison would also collect their first point from the Golden Bears since a CCC quarter final playoff win in the 2019 season.
In the first half, the momentum was all Bison as they found themselves ahead in shots 11-9, shots on goal 4-2, and corners 5-2. Despite their chances, halftime would come with a 0-0 score.
It was junior goalkeeper
Franco Barreto Santana who was the star for the Bison as he stopped all 8 shots he faced. He was called upon often in the second half, making many diving saves to keep the game scoreless.
The Bison's best chance came in the 64
th minute of the match came when junior
William Pugliese-Savage made a run and put the ball in the net, off a pass from teammate
Tristan Phillips. The home side rejoiced, but the play was later ruled offside.
Both teams exchanged chances after, but the match remained scoreless. The teams would have to settle for one conference standings point a piece in this late-season matchup. Final shots were 18-17 Nichols (8-7 SOG).
The Men's soccer team has wrapped up their 2023 home schedule and will now hit the road with a pair of contests. They are set to square off against the newly minted Division III University of Hartford Hawks in a matchup on Saturday at Alumni Stadium in West Hartford, CT. Kickoff is set for 4PM.
