PILGRIMS SINK PRIDE WITH TWO LATE GOALS

PILGRIMS SINK PRIDE WITH TWO LATE GOALS

WESTON, Mass. – New England College scored two goals a mere 1:01 apart to overcome a one goal deficit in the second half to slip past the host Regis College Pride, 2-1, in non-league men's soccer action on Wednesday afternoon in Weston, Mass. Regis falls to 1-4 on the year, while the Pilgrims grab their first win of 2013 and move to 1-2-1.

Both teams struggled with setting up their offenses as the two teams combined for 21 offsides calls in the game. Regis finally broke through in the 20th minute as Jeff Parrish (Framingham, Mass.) took a free kick from just beyond midfield following an offsides on NEC. Parrish's long ball made its way into the box and to the feet of Don Gomez (Lynn, Mass.) and after a quick move to his right, Gomez blasted the ball top shelf where it found the back of the net and gave Gomez his first career tally and the Pride a 1-0 lead.

The Pilgrims nearly tied the score late in the first half when Sebastian Andersson (Sundyburg, Sweden) got behind the Pride defense and inside the 18. Andersson played a low cross opposite post to Sean Walsh (Kingston, Mass.) that Walsh buried into the back of the net, but Walsh was called offside and the Pilgrims remained down by one headed into the break.

Regis began the second half looking for some insurance as Renato Rosas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) drew crossbar on a free kick from 20 yards out. Both Kenny Charron (West Warwick, R.I.) and Parrish had shots turned away and after a miss from Parrish, the ball bounced out near the top of the box where Prince Mukala (Malden, Mass.) fired a laser on net that caromed off the crossbar for a second time in the period and kept it a 1-0 Pride advantage.

The missed opportunities would come back to haunt the Pride as NEC came down on the ensuing possession and on a through ball, Julian Yourawski (Peabody, Mass.) put a shot on net that was saved by the Pride's Stefan Todorovic (Los Angeles, Calif.) but Yourawski got his own rebound and scored on the open net to knot the score at 1-1 with just over 18 minutes to play in regulation.

Just over a minute later and after an offside call against Regis, David Fernandes (Westbrook, Conn.) played a long bouncing ball into the box that Kyle Hagerstrom (Hampton, N.H.) jumped and headed out of the air and past a jumping Todorovic to put NEC on top 2-1. The Pilgrims avoided any other threats from the Pride by keeping possession of the ball and held on over the final 17-plus minutes for their first win of 2013.

Each team took 14 shots apiece, while Regis held a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks. The Pride's Stefan Todorovic made three saves in the setback, while NEC's Robert Millard (Barrington, R.I.) made five saves in his first win of the year.

The Pride look to rebound on Saturday afternoon when they host Rhode Island College in a 2:30 p.m. non-conference game on the turf. NEC returns to action on Saturday as well with a 3:30 p.m. game at Southern Vermont College.