Former Prep star Nick Figueiredo breaks soccer scoring record at Bowdoin

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October 31, 2007

Jean DePlacido The Salem News Wed Oct 31, 2007, 12:24 AM EDT

When the Bowdoin College men's soccer team needs a big goal, it looks to senior forward Nick Figueiredo.

That's no surprise, since the former St. John's Prep star was a scoring whiz in high school and has carried over that tendency the last four years at Bowdoin.

Now, scoring goals has led to Figueiredo breaking a historic record.

Figueiredo became the Polar Bears' all-time leading goal scorer recently, breaking a school record that had stood for 35 years.

"I knew going into the year I needed seven goals to do it because it was in our preseason online write-up," said Figueiredo, who lives in Wilmington. "It's a nice accomplishment, but I would much rather take a win than break the record. I try not to be selfish but put the team first."

But he's not satisfied with just that.

This past Sunday, Figueiredo tied the Bowdoin school record by picking up his 86th career point during a 2-0 victory over Wesleyan in the NESCAC playoff quarterfinals. He'll now look to break that record when the Polar Bears (10-4-1) travel to Amherst Saturday for a playoff semifinal showdown against the top-seeded Lord Jeffs (1:30 p.m.).

On the record-tying point, Figueiredo blasted a shot that was deflected by Wesleyan goalie Jamie Hiteshew to his Bowdoin teammate, Ben Denton-Schneider, who redirected the ball into the net for a two-goal lead in the 69th minute of play.

Figueiredo has been on fire this season with a NESCAC-leading 29 points, including 11 assists.

The previous day, Figueiredo recorded his ninth goal in Bowdoin's 3-2 overtime loss to Wesleyan on the final day of the regular season. Bowdoin then had to go on the road avenge the loss the following day, snapping a 10-game win streak for the Cardinals.

When Figueiredo broke the school's goal-scoring mark, he also added two assists as the Polar Bears upset nationally ranked Babson, 3-0.

Good times

Figueiredo's statistics speak for themselves. He leads the NESCAC in points per game with 1.93, assists per game (0.73), is the league's second-leading goal scorer and has three game-winning goals to his credit.

Figueiredo had scored the game-winner against Trinity the day before setting the record. The next day against Babson, the match was tied when he notched what proved to be the winning goal to launch him into the record books.

"My teammates rushed up and hugged me," said Figueiredo. "Then the coach (Fran O'Leary) took me out early after we had built up the lead, and I got a big ovation from our fans. I got the game ball and then was named NESCAC Player of the Week. It's the first time in my career, so it was a really good week.

"The Red Sox (winning) the World Series, the Patriots are unbeaten ... and our team in the playoffs. It couldn't get much better."

Over the past seven years, the Polar Bears' program has averaged a dozen wins per season, consistently ranked in the Top 25 nationally among Division 3 schools. They have reached the NESCAC semifinals six times and in 2003 qualified for the NCAA tournament.

Figueiredo was named second team All-American as a junior, when he scored 12 goals. He is a two-time All-Conference and All-New England selection as well.

"Nick is both a terrific young man and a fine soccer player," said O'Leary. "Everyone associated with Bowdoin College was delighted to see him break our scoring record.

"He is liked and respected by every member of the Bowdoin community. He is both physically and mentally strong and has led by example all season. The fact that he leads the NESCAC in goals and assists underscores his pedigree as a forward and his importance to our team."

Life after college

Figueiredo, an economics major with a minor in history with a 3.0 grade point average (which he expects to raise to a 3.2 by the end of the semester), points to a goal he scored the week before the record breaker as one of the best in his career. It came against Wheaton College after he had to beat two defenders to get a shot off.

He felt confidence right from the start this would be a good year for the team, and it started off with a trip to Scotland.

"That's a beautiful country, and the soccer was really good," said Figueiredo. "We've got a good group of seniors who really came together on that trip, winning three games and tying one. We had a tough schedule, and beat a Rangers youth team | one of the biggest clubs in Europe."

Another former St. John's Prep star, freshman Tim Prior, is a forward/midfielder for the Polar Bears.

Figueiredo's four-year college career is coming to an end, but he would love to continue to play soccer.

"The four years have gone by so fast," said Figueiredo. "I probably will work in finance, but depending on how my job search works out I may head to England and play soccer for one of the lower division teams. Even at the lower levels the pay is pretty good.

"Bowdoin was a great experience, a good fit for me both athletically and academically. I used soccer to get into the school, and the sport has treated me well."

While he knows his collegiate career is winding down, Figueiredo is doing his best to keep it going as long as possible.