Gordon College Men's Soccer cracked open the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) tournament this afternoon as they invited the Wentworth Leopards to the Brigham Athletic Complex for the opening play-in round. In the single-elimination game, the Fighting Scots battled for 90 minutes before Benny Simpson earned the only tally of the game in the final minutes to punch the Scots' ticket to the CCC Quarterfinal round. 

How It Happened 

• After 38 minutes of back and forth battle for ball control, the Fighting Scots came close to breaking the scoreless tie when Noah Martin beautifully placed a corner kick in front of the net that Nathan Starzl connected with, stirring up heart-pounding excitement in the crowd as he lasered a header that barely missed left of the net with 6:51 remaining in the first. However, neither squad was able to find the back of the net in the remaining minutes, entering the half at a standstill, 0-0. 
• In the second half, Gordon once again attempted to gain an advantage at the 83:13 mark as Isaac Bennett used his skills to dance around the Wentworth defenders before crossing it it in front of the net but the Scots were unable to finish the ball, keeping the score frozen at zero. Just under two minutes later, Bennett launched a throw in from the far corner to find the head of freshman Simpson who redirected the ball into the upper right corner of the net to give the Scots the edge with 5:10 remaining in regulation. The Fighting Scots continued to protect their house, shutting out the Leopards to seal the nail-biting 1-0 win.

Beyond The Box Score

• Benny Simpson and Isaac Bennett both booked their second goal and assist of the season, respectively. 
• After the thrilling victory, the Fighting Scots are set to face the Roger Williams University Hawks in Bristol, Rhode Island on Saturday, October 29 for the CCC Quarterfinals.