DUDLEY, Mass. – The Endicott men's soccer team traveled to Nichols on Saturday afternoon for the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) quarterfinal match. Junior Abdulla Al Khalifa tallied the lone goal for the Gulls but it was not enough as their trip in the CCC postseason had come to an end in the 3-1 decision in the Bison's favor. Endicott finishes the contest at 9-10-0, while Nichols advances to the Semifinals with a 12-1-5 record.
The first frame was a battle for both ends, the Bison ripped six shots but the Blue and Green followed with five. In the opening minutes senior James Mercer (South Hadley, Mass.) blasted a shot at goal but junior goalkeeper Jeremy Nash (West Springfield, Mass.) was able to make the save. Besides the shot the opening 20 minutes of play were quiet for both sides. At the 22:34 mark the Bison created an opportunity in the final third as senior Pat Gaumond (Holden, Mass.) dribbled towards goal from the 40 and cut into the middle where he blasted a shot that just slipped past sophomore Austin Peluso (Farmington, Conn.) to give Nichols the lead.
Three minutes later the Blue and Green fought to answer back after Al Khalifa sent a corner kick ball to sophomore Kyle Bisceglia (New Boston, N.H.) who sent to ball to cage but it just sailed high. 10 minutes later the Bison came in on Peluso making him work between the pipes. Senior Scott Palmerino (Southbridge, Mass.) let off a shot from 20 yards out but it bounced off the post, however Palmerino made the nice hustle play and controlled the ball off the rebound and sent the ball to the top right corner to take the 2-0 lead to enter halftime.
The second frame was similar to the first as both sides were close in shots, Endicott with six and the Bison with eight. In the opening minutes sophomore Tiago Prazeres (West Hartford, Conn.) came up with a breakaway opportunity as he dribbled down the right side and sent a shot top shelf that was just out of reach of Peluso as Nichols tallied their third and final goal of the day.
Three minutes later the Bison committed a hard foul in the 18 and forced a penalty kick in the Gulls favor. Coach Calabrese sent his leading scorer Al Khalifa to the line to take the shot. He sent the ball in and beat Nash to make it a two goal game.
Three minutes later Al Khalifa had another great opportunity to get the Blue and Green within one after he ripped a shot from 15 yards out, but Nash was able to make the impressive diving save. The Gulls were able to take momentum and force chances in the final third but could not find the back of the net as they fell to the Bison 3-1.
Peluso made five saves in the contest while his counterpart Nash made four.
Endicott's season may not be over as they will wait to learn their fate as they could potentially earn a spot in the ECAC Tournament where they had success last year after making it to the Semifinals.
