PITTSFIELD, Mass., September 19, 2006 - Springfield College freshman Adrian Schippers (Ashby, Mass.) scored two second-half goals and added an assist as the Pride downed non-conference foe, the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), 7-0, this afternoon at Berkshire Community College.

The Pride tallied just one score in the first 45 minutes of action, as junior forward Tony Distasio (Burlington, Conn.) knocked in a header for his first goal of the season in the 32nd minute (31:12). The score was assisted by classmate Chad Bonnell (Hazlet, N.J.), his first of the year.

At the beginning of the second stanza, SC turned it on. The Pride scored three different times in under six minutes to start the second half. Junior midfielder Steve Croft (Red Hook, N.Y.) scored off a feed from Schippers at 45:50, as Schippers then scored two consecutive goals in less than a minute, at 49:45 and 50:37. His scores were assisted by junior goalkeepr B.J. Sturdivant (Bear, Del.), as Schippers scored off Sturdivant's punt from the SC goal, and junior forward Colin Cook (Wilbraham, Mass.).

Senior co-captain Matt Lee (Lincoln, R.I.) scored his first goal of the seaon in the 61st minute of play (60:57) to put the Pride up by a five-goal margin. Junior forwards Joe Greenwood (Pelham, N.H.) and Pete Bianco (Patchogue, N.Y.) finished off the scoring for SC, netting their first goals of 2006, as both were unassisted scores.

For the Pride as a team, it is the first time SC has collectively scored seven goals in one match since 1996. The last time this was done, the Pride beat Westfield State in '96, 7-0, a year in which they went 7-12. SC has now beaten MCLA the past eight times in which the two squads have met.

The Pride will next host the Coast Guard Academy on Saturday afternoon, September 23rd, in a 1:00 p.m. start in what will be a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) match-up at Brock-Affleck Field.

published: 09/20/2006