DUDLEY, Mass. – The Curry College men's soccer team battled hard on the road but came up just short in a 1-0 loss to Nichols College on Saturday afternoon at Nichols Soccer Field. With the result, the Colonels drop to 3-7-2 overall and 0-4-0 in Conference of New Enlgland (CNE) play, while the Bison improve to 3-5-3 and 1-2-1 in league action.

The match was physical and tightly contested from the opening whistle, with both sides creating early chances. Curry registered seven shots in the first half, forcing Nichols keeper Derek Axon into a pair of saves, while Colonels goalkeeper Justin Ritz kept things level with a stop of his own. The teams entered halftime deadlocked at 0-0.

The decisive moment came in the 64th minute. Nichols midfielder Ethan Knowles broke through, finishing off a pass from Braydon Richardson to put the Bison ahead 1-0. Despite conceding, Ritz stood tall in net for Curry, making two saves in the match, while the Colonels' defense withstood 11 second-half shots from the hosts.

Curry continued to push forward, outshooting Nichols 15-13 overall, including several quality looks in the final 30 minutes. Substitutes Matthew Drons and Joseph Ruffino both created opportunities, but Axon was equal to the challenge, finishing the day with four saves to earn the clean sheet.

Justin Castillo led the Colonels with three shots, while Ryan Treacy and Drons each put attempts on target. Defensively, Ritz anchored Curry in goal, and the back line limited Nichols' attack to just three shots on goal despite their second-half surge.

Curry will look to regroup as they continue CNE play on Tuesday heading to Western New England for a 4 PM game.