CHICOPEE, Mass. – Regis College battled Elms College to the final whistle, but the Blazers were able to hold on to defeat the Pride, 1-0, Saturday evening in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's soccer match at Leary Field.
Both teams created scoring opportunities in the first half, but none of them were successful. Elms enjoyed consecutive chances in the 37th minute, but shots by Leonardo De Moura and Noah Jaques were turned away by Regis goalie Freddie Beckmann (Franklin, Mass.).
In the second half, the Pride challenged Elms keeper Collin Liedke on several occasions, but he did not let anything past him, including shots by Jacob Freitas (Dracut, Mass.) and Zack Acciardo (Derry, N.H.) 46 seconds apart midway through the second half. Luke Ayotte (Cromwell, Conn.) and Santiago Pedraza Novak (Bogota, Colombia) earned significant chances later in the half, but Liedke collected two more saves to keep the Pride off the scoreboard.
Elms (3-7, 1-4 GNAC) finally broke through in the 76th minute as Hunter Miket was able to keep the ball from Beckmann on the right side of the field and pass it to Jaques, who took advantage of an open net for his fourth goal of the season.
The Pride increased their offensive pressure down the stretch looking for a game-tying tally, starting with a shot on goal by Alfred Bresnahan (Marblehead, Mass.) with less than four minutes remaining in regulation. Regis drew two corner kick opportunities in the final minute of play, but neither one resulted in a serious scoring chance.
Beckmann finished with four saves in the match while Liedke earned a clean sheet with eight saves. The Pride outshot the Blazers, 19-13, led by Pedraza Novak with six total shots.
Regis College (4-6, 1-5 GNAC) hosts Saint Joseph's College Wednesday, Oct. 5, starting at 4 p.m. at Regis Stadium.