Men’s Soccer Breaks Through for First GNAC Win of Season

PAXTON, Mass. – A flurry of offense for Regis College midway through the first half held up the rest of the way, as the Pride defeated Anna Maria College, 4-0, Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's soccer match at AMCAT Field.

In a fast-paced contest, Regis gained possession and created early scoring chances, taking three shots within the first five minutes of the contest. Anna Maria flipped the field, taking control with three shots of its own during the next seven minutes, all on target, but Pride goalie Ivan Ramirez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) made the save on all three attempts.

The Pride regained possession and continued to pressure the AMCAT defense with five more shots in the span of eight-and-a-half minutes. In the 21^st minute, Branden Tan (Bodrum, Turkey) sent a corner kick into the box, where Santiago Pedraza Novak (Bogota, Colombia) gained possession and found Ken Niyonzima (Dracut, Mass.), who converted on a shot attempt for his second goal of the season.

Just over three minutes later, Regis sent a flurry of shots towards the Anna Maria net, with Pedraza Novak's attempt stopped by AMCAT goalie Kyle Sherman while shots from Tan and Niyonzima were blocked. Fabyanno Furbino (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) corralled the ball and found the back of the net for his third goal of the season, increasing the Regis lead to 2-0.

In the 30^th minute, Regis drew another corner kick, and Tan's entry pass would reach Diego Roman (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico), who converted on the opportunity for his first goal of the season. Five minutes later, Tan would score a goal of his own off an assist by Sal Madera (Rocky Hill, Conn.), giving the Pride their highest offensive output since last season's 5-0 victory over Becker.

The Pride continued its offensive pressure through the vast majority of the second half, taking seven shots and drawing four corner kick opportunities during the first 20 minutes after halftime. Anna Maria tried to break the shutout late in the match with five shots in the final seven minutes of regulation, but Freddie Beckmann (Franklin, Mass.), playing the second half in net for the Pride, made four saves during that span to keep the AMCATS scoreless.

During the game, Regis outshot Anna Maria, 32-17, and drew 12 corner kick chances while the AMCATS finished with five corner kick opportunities. Ramirez and Beckmann each made five saves for the Pride, and Sherman finished with 10 saves for the home team.

Regis (3-6, 1-3 GNAC) plays its next two GNAC matches on the road, traveling to Albertus Magnus Wednesday night, Oct. 9, and to Suffolk Saturday afternoon, Oct. 12. The Pride open a four-match homestand with a holiday contest against Pine Manor Monday, Oct. 14, beginning at 1 p.m.