By Jim Fenton
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Bridgewater State University men's soccer team began the 2025 season by scoring a dramatic victory Friday night.
Senior Gavin Norton (Rockland, Mass.) broke a tie with just seven minutes to go, giving the Bears a 3-2 win over Johnson & Wales University at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex.
The score had been even at 2-2 since less than 27 minutes into the game before Norton netted the game winner.
BSU and Johnson & Wales squared off in a season opener for the sixth straight year. The Bears had gone 0-4-1 against the Wildcats in those games.
Norton tied for the team lead with six goals last season and had one game-winning tally.
The goal that defeated Johnson & Wales was assisted by junior Hector Bucio (Easton, Mass.). Off a pass from junior Tyler Chang (Acushnet, Mass.), Bucio sent a cross to Norton near the far post who fired a shot into the back of the net.
The Wildcats had opened a 1-0 lead just 2:58 into the game when junior Jordan Thibodeau (Cranston, R.I.) scored from junior Christopher Vargas (Providence, R.I.).
But BSU responded in less than a minute when junior Nicholas Ribeiro (Bellingham, Mass.) scored from Chang at 3:44. Ribeiro buried a shot under the crossbar from just outside the six.
Johnson & Wales went back on top, 2-1, at 15:32 on a goal by senior Carlos Andrade (Cranston, R.I.), assisted by Vargas.
The Bears tied it at 26:55 on an unassisted goal by senior Dominek Borden (New Bedford, Mass.). The goal came off a corner kick with Borden tapping home a shot from the left side of the six.
Junior Kyle Sullivan (Enfield, Conn.), making his debut as the BSU goalkeeper, stopped three shots for the win.
Johnson & Wales junior goalkeeper Alexander Nardolillo (Greenville, R.I.) had six saves.
BSU had an 18-13 edge in overall shots and a 10-5 advantage in shots on goal.
The Bears face a major test on Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. when they travel to Vermont to play Middlebury, ranked No. 3 in the national preseason poll.
Middlebury lost to Amherst in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division 3 tournament last season and went 17-2-4. The game against BSU will be the season opener for Middlebury.
Johnson & Wales hosts Worcester State on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.