PAXTON, Mass. (10.05.10) – The Anna Maria College men's soccer team held off a late charge from the Regis Pride to secure their first victory of the season by a score of 2-1 on a cold and foggy night in Paxton, Mass. The win improves the AMCATS record to 1-10 overall and 1-6 in the TCCC, while Regis falls to 3-8-1 overall and 0-6-1 in conference play.
The first half featured little opportunities on offense, as both teams managed only five shots apiece. The AMCATS were finally able to break through in the 66th minute to take a 1-0 lead. After a corner kick gave the AMCATS possession, Josh Bernardo (Peabody, Mass.) smashed his first goal of the season on a nice feed from Cory Kays (Shrewsbury, Mass.).
The score stood at 1-0 until the 76th minute of the game, when the AMCATS' Justin Hyland (Leicester, Mass.) was taken down from behind on a breakaway, giving the AMCATS a free-kick. Ben Breese-Young (Concord, Mass.) then cranked the free-kick into the bottom right corner for his second goal of the year, to put the AMCATS ahead 2-0.
The Pride would not go away quietly, as Angel Aguilar (Silver Spring, Md.) put the Pride on the board with an unassisted goal in the 88th minute to cut the lead in half. However, it was too-little, too-late as the AMCATS held on to take the 2-1 victory.
The AMCATS outshot the Pride 20-15 on the night. Enco Lika (Worcester, Mass.) was a steady presence on the defensive end for the AMCATS, while Eric Perkins (Peabody, Mass.) was solid in net, collecting eight saves on the night and allowing just the one late goal. Regis goalkeeper Ryne Tillman (Bedford, Mass.) did his best to keep the Pride in the game, turning away 10 shots.
The Pride will look to rebound on Saturday, as the take on Endicott at home in a TCCC matchup. Anna Maria will look to make it two in a row on Thursday, when they take on Emerson in a non-conference match at home starting at 7:00 PM.