Third-Seeded Salem State Advances In 2010 MASCAC Men's Soccer Championships With 2-1 Double Overtime Semi-Final Victory At Second-Seeded Bridgewater State
Junior midfielder Rafael Santos scored the game-winning goal in the second overtime period to lift third seeded Salem State to a 2-1 victory over number two seed and host Bridgewater State in a MASCAC Men's Soccer Tournament semifinal match on Wednesday evening at Swenson Field in Bridgewater, Mass.
Courtesy Bridgewater State Sports Information
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Junior midfielder Rafael Santos (East Boston, Mass.) scored the game-winning goal in the second overtime period to lift third seeded Salem State University to a 2-1 victory over number two seed and host Bridgewater State University in a MASCAC Men's Soccer Tournament semifinal match on Wednesday night in Bridgewater.
Salem (8-5-4) will now host the MASCAC Tournament championship game on Saturday afternoon versus number four seed Framingham State. Framingham advanced to the tournament final on penalty kicks versus top seeded Westfield State. Bridgewater falls to 12-5 on the season and will await word on a possible ECAC Tournament bid.
Santos dribbled inside the box and beat the Bridgewater keeper with a shot that floated under the crossbar just a minute and nine seconds into the second overtime.
Bridgewater had tied the game up at 1-1 in dramatic fashion as sophomore forward Matt Palatino (Ludlow, Mass.) scored with just 38 seconds left in regulation off a long throw in from junior forward Mike Fraser (Marshfield, Mass.). Fraser's throw inside the 18 was boxed around before Palatino corralled the loose ball and deposited a shot inside the left post.
Senior midfielder David Miller (Lancaster, Pa.) had given the visiting Vikings the 1-0 second half lead as he scored an unassisted tally off a misplayed ball by the Bridgewater goalkeeper in the 76th minute.
Senior netminder Luis Marques (Fall River, Mass.) made five saves to earn the victory in goal for Salem. His biggest save of the day came in the first overtime as he made a brilliant stop off a Palatino header in the 99th minute. Junior DJ Siewierski (Stow, Mass.) turned aside a pair of shots for the Bears.
Bridgewater held a 16-10 shot advantage for the game while Salem had a 5-3 edge in corner kicks.
This marks the second straight season that Salem has knocked off a higher seeded Bridgewater team in the tournament semifinals. In 2009, the fourth seeded Vikings defeated the number one seeded Bears, 3-1.