BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore midfielder Dan Santacroce (Northford, Conn.) scored 1:51 into the second half as the Wentworth men's soccer team posted its fourth consecutive shutout in The Commonwealth Coast Conference play as the Leopards downed Curry, 1-0, in the final conference game of the season for both teams.
Despite the score being deadlocked at zero after 45 minutes of play, the visiting Colonels held an 8-4 shot advantage, which included four shots on goal. Of those four shots put on goal, three were quality scoring chances that were turned away by Leopard junior keeper Brian Pearsall (Sanford, Maine).
Wentworth established momentum in the opening second of the second half and put a shot on goal in the 46th minute. Less than a minute after that shot attempt, sophomore defender Mike Digman (Burlington, Mass.) took a throw-in from the left sideline. His pass went to junior midfielder Nick Brown (Somerset, Mass.), who found an open Santacroce inside the box. Santacroce hit a shot that found the lower right corner and gave Wentworth a 1-0 lead at 46:51.
Both teams went back and forth for the remainder of the half and had chances to score, but could not find the back of the net. With 38 seconds left in the game, Curry had a corner kick, which was taken to the right of the Wentworth goal. After being played outside the box, the Colonels had a golden opportunity to tie the game, but the shot attempt was cleared away from a Leopard defender and covered up by Pearsall, whose subsequent kick allowed time to wind down.
Pearsall made five saves to record his third shutout of the season and extend his personal shutout streak to 420:52. Curry sophomore Brian Newsome (Lawrenceville, N.J.) made four saves, while the Colonels outshot the Leopards, 17-14.
The win, Wentworth's second in a row overall and fifth straight in league play lifts the Leopards' record to 10-7-0 overall. With a 9-4 mark in league play, the Leopards have assured themselves of a home playoff game on Saturday (Oct. 31) at 1:00 p.m. Wentworth's opponent will be determined Wednesday evening. Curry dropped its fourth straight game to fall to 9-8-1 overall and 7-6 in TCCC play. The Colonels wrap up the 2009 season with a home game against Lesley on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
