

BRIDGEWATER, Mass., October 5, 2005 - Springfield College junior forward Matt Aucoin (Canton, Mass.) scored his third goal of the season in the 29th minute of action (28:18) to give the Pride a 2-0 first half lead, but it was the Bears of Bridgewater State College which rallied off four unanswered goals to hang on and beat SC, 4-3, in a non-conference match on Wednesday afternoon at Swenson Field.
Senior back Zach Pereira (East Providence, R.I.) tallied his first goal of the season with a 19th-minute score (18:36) off a feed from sophomore midfielder Tony Distasio (Burlington, Conn.). Pereira also recorded his first assist of the season on Aucoin's goal, giving the Pride a 2-0 advantage with 16:42 left in the opening half.
Bridgewater State (5-4) answered back quickly, however, with two unassisted scores from Mike Quinn (35:00) and Topher Paone (37:02) to tie the match at two apiece heading into the break. The Bears carried their momentum with them into the second stanza, scoring two more goals in the 51st minute and 67th minute of play, respectively. Quinn added his second score of the afternoon, as Bridgewater's Deron Jackson chipped in with the Bears' fourth goal of the match.
SC would not go down quietly, as the Pride made things interesting towards the final stages of the match. With just two minutes remaining in regulation, Distasio cut the Bridgewater lead in half with a well-placed shot just inside the right post off a feed from Aucoin. That would be all SC could muster, however, as the Bears held on for the 4-3 victory.
The Pride falls to 1-9 overall on the season as it will next search for its first New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) victory as SC travels to WPI for a match on Saturday afternoon, October 8, beginning at 3:00 p.m.
Only the seventh coach in a rich soccer tradition dating back to 1906, Peter Haley '77 G '78 will be entering his 25th season of coaching at his alma mater in the fall of 2009. A veteran of 28 years on the college soccer circuit, Haley has amassed over 200 wins during his impressive tenure. Read more.