Goal: Adamu, 6’

Goal: Enstice, 29’

Goal: Belal, 74’

 

Goal: Krentz, 10’

 

Nichols emerges from their second preseason tournament with a 3-1 record by defeating Starpoint, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon. The game was rather evenly matched, the opponents trading blows back and forth. The edge came from the offensive pace and skill of the Nichols youngsters. The Viking right flank––manned by wing-back Hugh Purks, outside midfielder Noah Stabler, and striker Jesse Adamu, all juniors––seemed to confound the Starpoint defense, as they continually created vertical offense up the line. Both Belal’s strike and Adamu’s team-leading third goal on the year were assisted by sophomore Michael McHale, creating chances up the middle. Tommy Enstice, another sophomore, scored his second goal in as many games after returning from injury, finding paydirt from a bad angle. This year’s team is dominated by sophomores and juniors, a class whose talent shows in the attacking, midfielding, and defending thirds. Today, though, the game-sealing goal was scored by a rare creature on the squad: a senior. One of only five of the Class of 2020 on the team, Karim Belal netted an easy shot to put the game away in the seventy-fourth minute. Nichols heads east to take on the Aquinas Institute of Rochester on Tuesday.