Colonels stop Seahawks in CCC men's soccer opener

MILTON, Mass. – The Curry College men's soccer team picked up its first Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) victory defeating visiting Salve Regina, 2-1, on Saturday afternoon at Walter M. Katz Field. Senior captain Ben Silvia (Dartmouth, Mass.) netted both goals for the Colonels. With the win, the Colonels improve to 4-1-1 overall and 1-0 in the CCC while the Seahawks slip to 4-2 on the season and 0-1 in the CCC.

The teams battled each other to a scoreless first half with Curry holding a slight advantage in shots, 8-5. Both keepers were solid between the pipes to keep the game tied at zero through 45 minutes of play.  The Colonel's sophomore goalkeeper Paul DeMaio (North Andover, Mass.) stopped three shots while the Seahawks junior goalie Michael Payan (Fort Lee, N.J.) made two saves.

Curry was first to strike in the second frame at the 57:52 minute mark. Silvia tallied his first on the day off an assist from junior Christian Mancini (Woodbury, Conn.). Salve pressured the Colonels defense while forcing DeMaio to make some tough stops before tying the match at 1-1. At 72:06 the Seahawks evened the score when junior John Julian (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) sent senior Jared Warren (Georgetown, Mass.) a through ball.  Warren one-timed the ball over the head of DeMaio for his lone goal of the game. Curry wasted no time getting the lead back as they netted the game-winner just 1:33 minutes later.  Silvia got the unassisted game-winner earning his team their first conference victory of the season. Shots in the second were in favor of the visitors with a slight margin of 8-7.

The Colonels held a 15-13 advantage in shots while the Seahawks held the edge in corners, 6-2. DeMaio recorded the win in the net, making seven saves. Payan was credited with the loss while making three stops in goal.

Curry returns to the field on Monday when they travel to Elms for a road contest at 6 p.m. Salve Regina will next play on Tuesday when they travel to Coast Guard at 6 p.m.