Men's Soccer Edges Regis In Regular Season Finale
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Regis (Mass.) (10-7-1, 4-4 NECC) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
Elms (8-10, 6-2 NECC) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)
CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College men's soccer team closed out the 2015-16 regular season earning the second-seed in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) tournament with a 2-1 victory over visiting Regis College at Leary Field Saturday evening. The Blazers improve to 8-10 overall, and 6-2 in the NECC, while Regis drops to 10-7-1 on the season, and 4-4 in conference play.
Prior to the contest, the Blazers honored their departing seniors, Christian Kostka (Oxford, Conn.), Connor O'Grady (Somers, Conn.), Rich Vanasse (Somers, Conn.), Lorenzo Rolocut (Somers, Conn.), Roger Conklin (Chicopee, Mass.), Patrick Goonan (Chicopee, Mass.), Safa Saady (Baghdad, Iraq), and Nicholson Pennant (St. Andrew, Jamaica).
The Pride cracked the scoreboard first, breaking the scoreless tie in the ninth minute of play as senior Renato Rosas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) headed a ball across the front of the Blazers goal, where freshman Derek Triana (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) swooped in and placed a shot past Pennant, giving Regis an early 1-0 lead.
Elms found the equalizer with 22:23 remaining in the first half as sophomore Donald Whittle (Somers, Conn.) gathered a loose ball and delivered a crisp pass to O'Grady on the far side of the box, who ripped a shot past Regis junior goalie Manny Santiago (Bristol, Conn.), knotting the score at 1-1. The game remained even at 1-1 heading into halftime.
The Blazers netted the decisive goal in the 77th minute of play as freshman Zachary DiNoto (Branford, Conn.) launched a free ball down the sideline, finding Whittle. Whittle drove to the Pride net, engaged the defenders, and slipped the ball to the front of the net, where Rolocut drove a low ball past Santiago's right side, sending Elms to the 2-1 victory.
Regis edged the Blazers in shots, 15-13, during the contest. Pennant made one save in the first half, while Kostka stopped four shots for Elms in the second frame. Santiago recorded three saves for the Pride.
The Blazers earn a first-round bye for the NECC tournament, and will face the winner of the match between the three-seed and six-seed. Regis owns the fifth spot in the NECC standings, and looks to be travel to Lesley University for a First Round meeting Wednesday, November 4th.
ELMS SOCCER
