Box Score
WENHAM, Mass. – The Gordon Men's Soccer team extended their winning streak to five games with a 1-0 win over the visiting Nor'easters of the University of New England. Junior Andy Guthrie's (Beaver Falls, Pa.) free-kick goal in the 74^th minute proved to be the difference maker in a back-and-forth contest between the two teams.
 
The week started out well for the Scots when they received a 13^th slot in the latest NSCAA National Poll on Tuesday afternoon. The then 14-win Scots have carried targets on their backs all season, but the swift movement up the rankings multiplied that feeling.
 
The University of New England came into the night's game on the outside looking in for next week's CCC Tournament, but the Nor'easters hoped to play spoiler for the Scots top-seed wishes. Gordon entered the game second in the conference due to Western New England playing one more game on their schedule thus far.
 
A win against the Nor'easters would put Gordon back on top of the conference with two games to play.
 
Things started out sloppy for both teams as they struggled to find flow on their respective offensive ends. The Scots had several chances in the first 20 minutes of the game, but an inconsistent attack led to meager results for the high-octane offense.
 
Gordon's best chance came in the 22^nd minute when senior forward Andrew Vandervoort (Memphis, Tenn.) hit the crossbar from the top of the 18-yard box. Daniel Perez (Bedford, Mass.) was there for the put-back, but Perez's shot went high, keeping the score at zero.
 
The Scots put the pedal to the metal in the second half after a scoreless first, bombarding the Nor'easters defense with shot after shot. UNE goalkeeper Aiden McParland tended the net well, racking up saves like a pinball machine to keep the Scots off the board.
 
However, Gordon's persistence would eventually breakthrough in the 74^th minute after a hard foul just outside the 18-yard box. Guthrie was given a free kick from 19 yards outside of the goal line and he buried the ball in the upper left corner of the net. The well-placed strike gave McParland no opportunity to react and Gordon took the lead 1-0.
 
The Scots defense, anchored by Josh Spoonhour (Greencastle, Pa.) and Trevor Hinshaw (San Jose, Calif.) held strong for the final 16 minutes to preserve the team's eighth shutout of the season. Spoonhour picked up his fifth win of the season in net.
 
McParland made six saves in the losing effort for UNE.
 
Gordon ends the regular season with two road games that will ultimately decide their CCC seeding. The Scots travel to Bristol, R.I. on Saturday for a matchup with Roger Williams at 12:30 p.m. The Hawks currently sit fourth in the most recent standings and are 1.5 games behind the Scots.