BOSTON, Mass. – Freshman Paul Sickinger (Tyngsboro, Mass.) scored the lone goal of the match with 5:51 remaining to lift the Nichols College men's soccer team over Wentworth Institute of Technology, 1-0 in Commonwealth Coast Conference play Tuesday night on Sweeney Field.
With the win the Bison improve to 11-2-4 (6-1-2 CCC), and coupled with Gordon's 3-2 loss to Roger Williams, will be the top seed in the upcoming CCC Tournament. The Leopards conclude their season at 4-8-5 (2-5-2).
Although there were multiple opportunities to earn a point at both sides of the pitch, neither team could find the back of the net early. Junior Sam Martins (Dartmouth, Mass.) was able to put two shots on goal, both off set pieces, but senior Jeremy Nash (West Springfield, Mass.) made the save on both. Sophomore David Melanson (Simsbury, Conn.) had two shots on goal for Nichols, with one saved and the other blocked. Both sides had three shots on goal, but Nichols outshot the Leopards 9-5 in the first half.
The Leopards had a chance to get on the board in the second half, however junior Alberto Benhamu (Caracas, Venezuela) sailed a shot high over the crossbar. After 84 minutes of play, the first goal of the game was finally scored by Nichols. A Wentworth foul saw a direct kick from 25 yards out where senior Michael Perry (Plainville, Mass.) took the set piece and shot it into a mob of Leopard defenders. Sickinger was able to come up with the loose ball after the scrum and find the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season.
Nash made five saves for the Bison while freshman Noah Scanlon (Millington, N.J.) made six stops for the Leopards. Nichols held an 18-11 edge on shots while both teams took two corner kicks.
The Bison will host a CCC Quarterfinal round game on Saturday afternoon.
