Box Score New London, Conn. – November 1, 2014 - The Springfield College men's soccer team put forth a valiant performance on Saturday afternoon, as the Pride traveled to No. 18 Coast Guard and came out of New London with a 2-2 draw against one of the regions top teams in its New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular-season finale.
With the draw, the Pride finish the season with an overall record of 8-5-6 and 2-3-2 in NEWMAC play, while the Bears, ranked No. 2 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) regional rankings and No. 18 in the latest national rankings, finish the regular season with a record of 13-1-3 and 4-1-2 in conference play.
Springfield finished the 2014 season with just five losses, which matches the fewest losses that the program has had in a single season since the 1989 campaign. The only other time as a Division III program that Springfield had five or fewer losses was in 2011 when the Pride went 10-5-4 en route to winning the NEWMAC Championship.
Early in the first half senior Ryan Malone (Chicopee, Mass.) took a hard, low shot from 40-yards out. The ball was tailing away from senior Richie Burns (Long Beach, Calif.) but he dove to his right and knocked it out of play for a Pride corner.
Coast Guard made the best of their few chances late in the half when freshman Luke Telang (Providence, R.I.) sent a cross into the box from the right side. Freshman Ryan Dandan (Trophy Club, Texas) found himself unmarked, rose up and headed the ball past junior goalkeeper Billy Schmid (Wethersfield, Conn.) for his fourth goal of the year in the 42nd minute.
The Bear's lead would not last long as senior captain Drew Sommer (West Chester, Pa.) sent a driven ball into the middle of Coast Guard's box in the 45th minute, when Malone came streaking into the Bear's penalty box, dove, and headed the ball into the right corner of the goal for his sixth goal this season.
Malone's goal was the first scored on Burns in the last 759 minutes and 12 seconds.
Springfield came out in the second half and took the lead at 53:59 mark when freshman midfielder Curtis Bolduc (South Windsor, Conn.) came out of a scramble in front of Coast Guard's goal with the ball and fired a shot into the left side netting for his second goal this year.
Midway through the half sophomore Caelan Harshaw sent a cross into the box from a set piece. Freshman Austin Read headed the ball on goal but Schmid made a sprawling save and was able to snatch up the rebound before it went in the goal.
Coast Guard found the tying goal when a foul at the 84:19 minute put the ball right at the top of Springfield's eighteen yard box. Harshaw stepped up to take the kick, and fired it into the left side of the goal for his third strike this year.
The Pride attempted to steal the game late when Bolduc passed the ball across the front of the Bear's goal and found an open Malone making a run to the net. Malone took the ball in stride and attempted to place it in the left corner of the goal just past Burns. The ball however hit the post and went harmlessly out of play.
Burns made six saves in the tie, while Schmid made a game-high nine saves for the Pride.
