Wentworth Downs Gordon, 2-1
Ben Nasman's goal early in second half snaps 1-all tie and gives Leopards fourth 2-1 win of the season
BOSTON, Mass. – Junior forward Ben Nasman's (Lenox, Mass.) goal early in the second half snapped a 1-all tie as the Wentworth men's soccer team held on to defeat Gordon, 2-1, in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference contest played at Sweeney Field.
A back and forth opening to the contest saw both teams with early chances, but it wasn't until Leopard sophomore midfielder Josh Deschene (Webster, Mass.) look a pass from junior midfielder Nick Brown (Somerset, Mass.) in front of the goal and bury it to the right side to give Wentworth a 1-0 lead at 22:26.
The Fighting Scots needed less than five minutes to even the score as a foul was called on Wentworth three yards to the left of the 18-yard box. Junior Matt Horth (Akron, Ohio) took the kick and found the back of the net at 27:08. In the 38th minute, Gordon had a golden opportunity to take a 2-1 lead when a shot hit the right post and the shot off the rebound was batted away by Leopard junior Brian Pearsall (Sanford, Maine).
The game would remain tied at 1-all for the remainder of the half, and, after 45:00 of play, both teams had 10 shots.
Just 1:44 into the second half, junior midfielder David Lagarce (Lenox, Mass.) took a free kick, which he sent to the right side of the box. Nasman got a head on the ball and found an opening to the lower right corner, giving the hosts a lead they would not relinquish.
Gordon mounted pressure in hopes of tying the game and had a pair of corner kicks in the final five minutes. The Fighting Scots had possession as time wound down, but consecutive clears by the Leopards fended off a last-chance effort.
Pearsall made five saves – including three in the second half – to improve to 4-3. Sophomore Zach Frey (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) turned aside four shots for Gordon, which held a 16-13 advantage in shots and a 5-3 advantage on corner kicks.
The win improves Wentworth's record to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in conference play. All four of the Leopards' wins have been by 2-1 scores. Wentworth is back in action Wednesday night at Endicott. Gordon falls to 3-5 (2-2 TCCC) and is at Anna Maria on Wednesday.