DUDLEY, Mass. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology men's soccer team scored twice in a span of 3:56 to erase a 3-2 deficit and go onto defeat Nichols, 4-3, in the Commonwealth Coast Conference opener for both teams.
Winners of two straight and three of their last four contests, the Leopards improve to 4-3-0 overall (1-0 CCC) while the Bison fall to 3-3-1 on the season.
Nichols got the scoring started on an early goal from junior Gregory Giglio (Deer Park, N.Y.) who scored off a feed from classmate Cole Houghton (Gorham, Maine) at 5:40. The Bison maintained the advantage until Wentworth scored twice in a span of 2:26 to take a 2-1 lead. Senior Michael Zendan (Charlotte, N.C.) fed sophomore Griffin Price (Allendale, N.J.) to even the score at a goal apiece at 24:57, while, at 27:23, Price fed Zendan to give the Black & Gold the lead.
With just under 12 minutes remaining in the first half, Nichols evened the score on a senior Paul Sickinger (Suffield, Conn.) goal, which was assisted by graduate student Ryan Banker (Ashaway, R.I.). Wentworth had a 9-7 edge in shots in the first half.
Five and a half minutes into the second half, Banker gave the hosts a 3-2 lead, a lead which stood until Zendan picked up his second helper of the contest when he found junior Noah Martins (Dartmouth, Mass.) whose shot found the back of the net. With 4:10 remaining in the contest, senior Ryan Reid (Columbia, S.C.) scored the eventual game winner as he headed a senior Emmett Basaca (San Diego, Calif.) corner kick into the back of the net.
Junior Matthew Sekerak (Winthrop, Maine) made nine saves for the Leopards while junior Patrick Porpora (Westminster, Mass.) made 10 saves for the Bison. Wentworth had advantages in shots (23-16) and corner kicks (6-3).
Wentworth hosts MIT Wednesday night.
For the latest on Wentworth Athletics, follow the Leopards via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Wentworth Leopards "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
