BIDDEFORD — Nichols College earned the top seed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference men’s soccer playoffs after going 6-1-2 in conference play.
The Bison’s only loss in conference play came on the road against the University of New England on Oct. 18. That’s the same eighth-seeded Nor’easters that Nichols will match up against in the CCC quarterfinals on Saturday.
It’s a matchup that UNE head coach Peter Oestergaard said makes his team an underdog to watch out for.
“It’s just a good matchup,” said Oestergaard. “Some teams you match up well to and other teams you don’t.”
The regular-season matchup was anything but ordinary, as severe weather caused a nearly two hour delay after a scoreless first half. Oestergaard said his team “came out flying” in the second half, and a goal by freshman Darius Ntacyo ”“ a former Thornton Academy standout ”“ in the 54th minute was the difference in the 1-0 UNE victory.
That game was played on the grass at Barbara J. Hazard Field, while Saturday’s quarterfinal will be contested on the artificial turf at Nichols’ Vendetti Field. While Oestergaard said his team has plenty of experience on turf ”“ the team plays some home games on the Big Blue Turf in Biddeford ”“ he said the surface causes the ball to bounce differently, which could mean the difference between winning and losing in the playoffs.
Oestergaard said his biggest concern isn’t the playing surface or how dangerous of an opponent the Bison are, but how his struggling team responds to the challenge.
The Nor’easters lost their last three games after the win over Nichols, a stretch Oestergaard called “bumpy.” The losing streak began with “an awful performance” ”“ in Oestergaard’s words ”“ against Salve Regina, followed by UNE making a couple “stupid mistakes” in a 2-1 loss to Roger Williams.
Oestergaard said his team played a good second half against the Hawks, and that carried over into the season finale against Curry. Oestergaard said his team played “a very good and structured game” against the Colonels, only to lose 1-0 on a goal in the last second of double overtime.
“We need to tighten some things up tactically,” said Oestergaard. “So we’re concentrating these next couple days more on ourselves than actually the opponent.
“We play a good brand of soccer. But we can be our own worst enemies, too.”
Ntacyo could be a factor again in the rematch with Nichols, as he’s come on strong at the end of his first season with the Nor’easters. He is tied for the team lead with four goals, including two in the last four games.
“Darius has been good, very good. He’s stepped up,” said Oestergaard. “He’s been scoring some key goals for us.”
But the strength of the Nor’easters, and a player who will likely factor heavily in the outcome of Saturday’s game, is senior goalie Aidan McParland. The backstop pitched shutouts in nine of the team’s 17 games and finished with a 0.85 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage.
“I would not want to play against Aidan. I love having Aidan on my team,” said Oestergaard. “Aidan will keep you in games and he will make tremendous saves.”
The Nor’easters will bring a lot of conference into their matchup with Nichols on Saturday, knowing they have what it takes to knock off the top-seeded Bison. Oestergaard said he has “no doubt” that his team can win the game, but it will UNE’s best effort ”“ and maybe some friendly bounces ”“ to make sure that it happens.
— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or sporst@journaltribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.
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