By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- He had spent two years as a backup goalkeeper for the Merrimack College men's soccer team, receiving no playing time as a freshman or sophomore.

So Kyle Sullivan (Enfield, Conn.) decided to go into the transfer portal and check out some alternatives, and a friend from home in Connecticut offered an appealing one to him.

Ethan Mallett (Ellington, Conn.) had already played two seasons as a midfielder at Bridgewater State University and let Sullivan know all about the Bears' program.

Mallett went to BSU coach Brendan Adams to let him know about Sullivan, and a connection was made.

Sullivan transferred this semester and became the Bears' No. 1 goalkeeper, a position that opened up after the graduation of Lukas Ekmanis.

Now, Sullivan is preparing to play in the NCAA Division III tournament with BSU (13-5-1) traveling to Middletown, Conn., for a 1:30 p.m. game against Rowan University (15-3-4) of Glassboro, N.J.

"Ethan had come to me last spring and said, 'There's a friend of mine who I play club soccer with who might be interested in coming to school,'" said Adams.

Sullivan liked what he heard about BSU and decided to make the move and join Mallett with the Bears.

The junior started 18 of BSU's 19 games, going 13-4-1 with a 1.35 goals against average and nine shutouts.

"I was doing a lot of research about other schools in the area," said Sullivan. "It seemed like a good choice. I knew they had a good soccer program and it was a quality school. The shoe seemed to fit. It seemed like the best decision.

"I saw their starter graduated and they potentially needed someone to fill. I wanted to come here and compete for the No. 1 spot."

Getting the inside information from club teammate Mallett was a boost as well.

"The first thing he said was that it's a super tight-knit community," said Sullivan. "All the boys are super close. That's something my previous program kind of lacked. I loved the sense of cammerderies that he said everyone has. He seemed to love it."

Sullivan had some adjusting to do after sitting on the bench for two years at Division I Merrimack.

He said there were some early-season struggles but things got better as the season went on.

"Honestly, it was pretty tough," said the 6-foot-3 Sullivan. "At the beginning of the season, I struggled a little bit getting used to game situations and getting the hang of things. I made a few mistakes.

"But it's all about gaining your confidence and keeping the grind going, keep working, keep getting better and getting more confident. It's all about confidence."

Said Adams, "Having Kyle has been fantastic for us. He had two years of not playing at Merrimack, so it took a little bit of time getting his confidence up and getting into the flow of the game, but he's been fantastic ever since."

BSU recorded shutouts against Anna Maria, Emerson, Westfield State, Rhode Island College, UMass Dartmouth, Coast Guard, Framingham State and Mass. Maritime Academy in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference title game last Sunday.

Six of those shutouts have come in the last night games since the start of October.

Sullivan points to his defenders for the stinginess the Bears have displayed.

"It's all them," said Sullivan. "I have the smallest part. Those guys did miles more than I ever could for the team. Our nine clean sheets are all on them.''

Sullivan gets to play in the NCAAs now after not getting on the field for two seasons.

"It's awesome," he said. "It's something you work for your whole life. I used to think (about it) from doing touches in my basement to training at my high school on rainy days.

"It's a crazy thing. You can represent yourself, your name, your team, your school, at the national level."

And he is doing so in the first year at Bridgewater State after moving on from Merrimack.

"I love all the people here,'' Sullivan said. "I really feel like I found my new home. I honestly couldn't be more happier in the decision that I made to come here."