Grace Baptist Christian Academy Boys' Soccer Kick it Up to Four Wins

The boys’ soccer team of of Attleboro won its fourth match in as many starts this season, going into double overtime Thursday afternoon before defeating New England Baptist Academy of West Bridgewater, 6-5, in a Massachusetts Association of Christian Schools contest played in East Bridgewater.

A.J. Russell netted the only score in the second five-minute extra session as the Centurions grabbed an important victory over the defending league champions in their first league outing of the 2011 campaign, according to a press release on the game. Grace Baptish goalkeeper Tyler McGee made 12 stops to earn the win and preserved the final score with two superb saves in the final period.

“This was a great win for us and I’m proud of all our players,” said GBCA Coach Jeff Nichols. “I thought our defense played well and at times, we passed well on offense and set up good scoring opportunities. We still have a lot of room for improvement, but we gave an excellent effort today.”

After spotting NEBA a 2-0 lead in the opening eight minutes of the match, the Centurions roared back with three unanswered goals before settling for a 3-3 deadlock at halftime. GBCA owned a 4-3 edge for most of the second half until the Hawks countered with a late goal on a free kick to forge a 4-4 stalemate and force overtime.

Both teams scored in the first extra session setting the stage for Russell’s game-deciding tally in the second overtime.

Lee Nichols and Christian Kunsch both scored two goals for the winners and Alex Rodrigues added one goal. Nichols, Kunsch and Russell also earned assists.