BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore midfielder Dan Santacroce (Northford, Conn.) scored with 4:30 remaining in regulation to snap a 1-all tie and lift the Wentworth men's soccer team to a 2-1 win over Salve Regina in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference contest played at Sweeney Field.
After both teams would struggle to find scoring opportunities in the early going, it was the visiting Seahawks would who tallied first when sophomore forward Christopher Knoth (East Islip, N.Y.) fed a pass from the left side of the box to freshman midfielder Brian Sweeney (Waldoboro, Maine) who fired a shot to the lower left side of the net.
Just over nine minutes later the Leopards would even the score when, after a foul was called just outside the top of the 18-yeard box, junior midfielder David Lagarace (Lenox, Mass.) tapped a free kick to classmate Ben Nasman (Lenox, Mass.) who would find the back of the nest at the 23:29 mark. The game stayed tied at 1-all for the remainder of the half with Wentworth holding a 9-6 advantage in shots through the first 45:00.
Wentworth had a chance to take a 2-1 lead in the 61st minute when Santacroce was served a cross and flicked a header from point-blank range that Salve Regina freshman Eric Terreri (Guilford, Conn.) stopped the attempt, keeping the game deadlocked at a goal apiece.
Sophomore midfielder Josh Deschene (Webster, Mass.) would find Santacroce, who drilled a left-footed shot past Terreri from the top right corner of the box at 85:30.
The Seahawks had two chances in the waning minutes, with a corner kick in the 88th minute and a shot that was blocked with just over two minutes left, but could not put the tying goal home.
Junior Brian Pearsall (Sanford, Maine) made four saves, while Terreri turned aside five shots. Salve Regina held a 16-15 shot advantage, while Wentworth held a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks.
The win improves Wentworth's record to 6-6-0 overall and 5-4-0 in TCCC play. The Leopards host the University of New England on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Salve Regina sees its four-game (3-0-1) unbeaten streak come to an end, falling to 7-5-1 overall and 5-3-1 in league play. The Seahawks are also back in action on Saturday, hosting Colby-Sawyer at 3:30 p.m.
