BY BRENDAN WATKINS // APRIL 18, 2016 //

The Colonels secured their first conference win of the season at home, improving to 9-4 overall Saturday afternoon against Nichols in a match-up that was back-and-forth in the first half, but domination by Curry in the second.

The Colonels came out strong in the first half, entering the game on the heels of a four-game losing streak.

Ball movement and transitions made for a successful start for the Colonels, as they scored six goals in the opening quarter. Sophomore Matt Serra accounted for two of those goals, and went on to score an impressive eight goals in the game. The Colonels seemed very prepared for this conference game, and they desperately needed a win. They went about it the right way, coming out of the gate with the momentum and a lot of intensity.

In the second quarter the Colonels limited the Bison to only two goals, while they picked up five. Nichols’ defense made quite a few mistakes and the Colonels did a great job of capitalizing on them.

The third quarter proved to be a tough one for the Colonels as they failed to pick up a goal in the quarter and handed over an easy one to the Bison. They were still playing very good defense, however, the attack just wasn’t getting any open looks. Senior goalie Shane O’Brien really stepped up in the matchup, as he was shot on 18 times and made 10 saves.

In the 4th quarter things got aggressive between the two teams. A lot of pushing, slashing, and cross-checking occurred, leading to a lot of penalties for both teams. However, the teams did well as to not get into any extreme altercations.

Scoring in the 4th quarter was almost even as Curry picked up another six goals while allowing four goals to the Bison. Four of the six goals for Curry were from Matt Serra, and two of them were unassisted. The game ended with a final score of 17-10.

After the game, sophomore Jeffrey Yates was proud of the team’s conference win saying, “It’s good to get a conference win, it helps build momentum into the next game.” Yates also commented on how the Colonels executed their game plan against the Bison. “You know, I felt like we did what we needed to do, we stayed focused on our game plan and we prevailed and it shows on the scoreboard.”

Yates also had a few comments about the Colonels next game against Western New England on 4/20, “It’s David vs Goliath, and hopefully we can go in there and knock ‘em down.”

The Colonels play at Western New England on 4/20 in another conference battle against the 5-0 Golden Bears.  

• Big Day for Sophomore Serra: Matt Serra scored an impressive 8 goals in the win, racking up the goal total to 33 on the season.
• Conference Intensity: The Colonels played with a lot of enthusiasm and energy, and were able to notch their first home conference win as a result.
• Saving the Day: O’Brien’s 10 saves were a major key in keeping the Colonels alive.