Box Score WATERVILLE, Maine – Bates College men's soccer fell to Thomas College 1-0 as Thomas junior Tre Ming scored on a penalty kick in the 74th minute on Wednesday night at Smith Field.
After the Terriers (2-2-0) tallied their goal, the Bobcats (0-2-1) generated six shots, including two on goal, to go with two corners but could not find an equalizer.
Ming shot low and just to the left of center as Bobcat junior goalkeeper Sam Polito (Far Hills, N.J.) dove to the right side of the goal to post the game's only goal.
The Bobcats rallied in an attempt to tie the contest as sophomore Peabo Knoth (Portland, Maine) had two shots blocked before classmate Nicolas Visser (Wezembeek, Belgium) notched three shots, one on goal, and fellow sophomore Jack Martell (Gray, Maine) put another on frame.
For the match, Bates led Thomas – the two-time defending champions of the North Atlantic Conference -- in shots (19-12), shots on goal (8-4), and corner kicks (8-2).
Terrier senior goalkeeper Winston Trott (Pembroke, Bermuda) made eight saves in the shutout and improved his record to 2-1-0. Polito (0-2-1) stopped three shots in the loss.
The two teams traded chances in the first half with senior Aaron Nickelsberg (Concord, Mass.), first-year Justin Yacovino (Bergen, N.J.), and sophomore Luke McNabb (Glastonbury, Conn.) each putting shots on goal for the Bobcats. The Terriers registered two shots and a corner kick in the period's final five minutes.
Bates opened the second half on the attack, charting three shots in the frame's first 10 minutes, including a header from Martell which went wide and a shot on target from Knoth. Polito made two saves between the 63rd and 68th minutes to keep the score at 0-0.
The Bobcats threatened shortly thereafter as the team earned three corners and Martell uncorked another header between the 69th and 70th minutes. Junior Luis Pereira (Curitiba, Brazil) placed a shot on goal two minutes later which required a diving save from Trott.
Next, Bates hosts Hamilton College in its NESCAC opener on Saturday at 2 p.m. while Thomas plays at the University of Southern Maine on Monday at 4 p.m.
