SPRINGFIELD, Mass., October 22, 2005 – Springfield College junior forward Matt Lee (Lincoln, R.I.) scored the golden goal in overtime to defeat MIT in the 93rd minute of play (92:47), 2-1, in New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference action this afternoon (Oct. 22) in Springfield, Mass.

The Engineers (6-6, 0-4) started the scoring first, as freshman defender David Nole netted a shot in the 30th minute of action (29:42) off a feed from senior midfielder Walter Song. The Pride (3-10-1, 1-3-1) would eventually even up the score at one goal apiece before halftime, in the 38th minute of play (37:33), off a shot from sophomore tri-captain Paul Lepak (Windsor, Conn.).

The two teams aggressively battled each other for possession in the second half, but neither squad was able to muster a goal as the score remained 1-1 at the end of regulation.

Just 2:47 into the first overtime period, sophomore forward Colin Cook (Wilbraham, Mass.) put a hard shot on goal which deflected off Engineer freshman goalkeeper Thomas Caldwell. Lee was there to give the Pride the 2-1 overtime victory as his rebound shot found the back of the net. For the junior forward, it is his first score of the '05 campaign.

SC sophomore goalkeeper B.J. Sturdivant (Bear, Del.) tallied three saves as the Pride earned its first NEWMAC victory of the season. MIT's Caldwell recorded six saves.

The Pride improves to 3-10-1 overall and 1-3-1 in conference play as SC has won its past two matches. The Pride next hosts Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) on Wednesday, October 26, in non-conference action beginning at 7:00 p.m.

published: 10/22/2005