Men’s Soccer Unable to Rally Past Lasell

Men’s Soccer Unable to Rally Past Lasell
October 16, 2019

WESTON, Mass. – Regis College held possession over 60 percent of the time and created numerous scoring opportunities, but Lasell University was able to hold off the Pride, as the Lasers earned a 2-1 victory Wednesday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's soccer match at Regis Stadium.

Regis took control early in the match, taking five shots within the first eight minutes. Lasell finally broke out on a counterattack in the 13th minute, as Kyle Stewart (Webster, Mass.) sent a long pass towards Simon Nigro (Simsbury, Conn.). Nigro collected the ball, eluded Regis keeper Ivan Ramirez (San Juan, Puerto Rico), and chipped the ball into the empty net to put the Lasers on the board.

The Pride maintained their offensive pressure, but shots by Branden Tan (Bodrum, Turkey) and Scott Holcomb (Natick, Mass.) were caught by Lasell goalie Jackson Burhans (Berlin, N.Y.). In the 25th minute, the Lasers eventually gained possession and drew a foul to the left of the Regis box. Nigro sent the free kick into the box, and Francisco Villacorta (Lima, Peru) was able to redirect the ball on a header into the goal to extend the Lasell lead to 2-0.

In the 37th minute, Fabyanno Furbino (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) dribbled the ball into the box and drew a Lasell foul, creating a penalty kick opportunity. Ken Niyonzima (Dracut, Mass.) was able to convert on the penalty kick to cut the Pride deficit in half at 2-1, where it remained at halftime.

After taking 13 shots in the first half, Regis totaled 17 shots in the second half, but only four were on goal, and all of those were stopped by Burhans. Meanwhile, Lasell was credited with only one shot attempt after halftime as the Lasers concentrated on defending their one-goal lead.

Tan and Cesar Da Silva (Boca Raton, Fla.) led the Pride with seven shots apiece. Ramirez did not collect a save as he played the entire match in net for Regis, while Burhans finished with eight saves as he picked up his second victory of the season.

Lasell (3-13, 2-5 GNAC) hosts Anna Maria Saturday, Oct. 19, starting at 12 noon.

Regis (3-10, 1-6 GNAC) will host Rivier University this weekend, but due to continued precautions regarding mosquitoes possibly containing the EEE virus, the match has been rescheduled. The Pride will now face the Raiders Sunday, Oct. 20, beginning at 3 p.m. at Weston High School.