The Golden Bears - 2008 TCCC champions

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Western New England College is heading back to the NCAA Division III Championship for the fifth consecutive year.

The top-seeded Golden Bears scored twice in the second half for a 3-1 victory over seventh-seeded Nichols in the championship match of The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Men's Soccer Tournament Saturday afternoon (Nov. 8) at rainy Suprenant Field.

Western New England College, ranked 12th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll and second in the region, improved its record to 16-1-5 and extended its unbeaten streak to 21 matches.

It wasn't easy, however, as the upstart Bison provided a challenging test in their inaugural conference final appearance.

Western New England College took an early 1-0 lead when sophomore midfielder Alex Dos Santos (Ludlow, MA) fired home a shot followed a missed clear on a corner kick just 2:23 into the contest. It was the third goal of the season for Dos Santos who is nicknamed “Cheese” because he smiles a lot.

Nichols tied the game when sophomore midfielder Mark Capitanio (Mansfield, Mass.) drilled home a long shot for his sixth goal of the year with an assist from sophomore midfielder Matthew Nash (West Springfield, MA) at exactly the 24-minute mark.

WNEC took the lead for good when senior defender Kevin Zimbal (Schenectady, NY) knocked home his third goal of the year off of a rebound following a shot by senior forward Dan Hare (Staatsburg, NY) that hit the top of the crossbar in the 58th minute.

Junior midfielder Tony Rosa (Ludlow, MA) provided an important insurance goal with his first score of the season in the 70th minute.

Junior goalkeeper Kyle Bak (Cumberland, RI) compiled four saves in raising his record to 8-1-3.

Western New England College had a 30-10 advantage in shots and 9-4 edge in corner kicks.

Freshman keeper Brendan Hamilton (North Attleboro, MA) finished with 13 saves (eight in the second half) in a terrific performance for the Bison. He made several clutch stops, including one on a point-blank shot by Hare in the opening half, and two outstanding stops in the opening minute of the second period.

Nichols finished with an 11-9-1 record, its most wins since 1982 and second best in school history. The Bison upset second-seeded Roger Williams (1-0) and third-seeded Curry (2-1) to advance to the title game.

Western New England College, meanwhile, will await word on its opponent in the upcoming NCAA Division III Tournament that begins Wednesday (Nov. 12) at campus sites.

The NCAA Men's Soccer Committee will make its selection of teams on Sunday night (Nov. 9) and release the official bracket on Monday morning (Nov. 10).

This was the second consecutive TCCC Tournament crown for the Golden Bears in their second season in the league. WNEC also captured Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) titles in 2004 and 2006, and received a wild-card invitation to the national tournament in 2005.