MSOC: Lasell knocks off Regis; Nigro leads Lasers to GNAC win

WESTON, Mass. – Junior Simon Nigro (Simsbury, Conn.) tallied a goal and an assist Wednesday afternoon as Lasell University defeated Regis College, 2-1, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's soccer match at Regis Stadium.

The Lasers (3-13 overall, 2-5 GNAC) won their second game in a row to stay alive for a GNAC playoff berth, while the Pride drop to 3-10 overall, 1-6 in the conference.

Regis took control early in the match, taking five shots within the first eight minutes. Lasell finally broke out on a counterattack in the 13th minute, as sophomore Kyle Stewart (Webster, Mass.) sent a long pass towards Nigro, who collected the ball, eluded Regis keeper Ivan Ramirez (San Juan, Puerto Rico), and chipped the ball into the empty net to put the Lasers on the board.

The Pride maintained their offensive pressure, but shots by Branden Tan (Bodrum, Turkey) and Scott Holcomb (Natick, Mass.) were caught by Lasell goalie Jackson Burhans (Berlin, N.Y.). The Lasers eventually gained possession in the 25th minute, and drew a foul to the left of the Regis box. Nigro sent the free kick into the box, and senior Francisco Villacorta (Lima, Peru) was able to redirect the ball on a header into the goal to extend the Lasell lead to 2-0.

In the 37th minute, Fabyanno Furbino (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) dribbled the ball into the box and drew a Lasell foul, creating a penalty kick opportunity. Ken Niyonzima (Dracut, Mass.) was able to convert on the penalty kick to cut the Pride deficit in half at 2-1, where it remained at halftime.

After taking 13 shots in the first half, Regis totaled 17 shots in the second half, but only four were on goal, and all of those were stopped by Burhans. Meanwhile, Lasell was credited with only one shot attempt after halftime as the Lasers concentrated on defending their one-goal lead.

Tan and Cesar Da Silva (Boca Raton, Fla.) led the Pride with seven shots apiece. Ramirez did not collect a save as he played the entire match in net for Regis, while Burhans finished with eight saves as he picked up his second victory of the season.

Lasell returns home to host Anna Maria this Saturday, Oct. 19, in the Senior Day game starting at noon. Regis will host Rivier University this weekend, but due to continued precautions regarding mosquitoes possibly containing the EEE virus, the match has been rescheduled. The Pride will face the Raiders Sunday, Oct. 20, beginning at 3 p.m. at Weston High School.

(Courtesy of Regis Sports Information)

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