Bridgewater State Clips Salem State 2-1

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications 

SALEM, Mass. -- In a highly anticipated matchup, the Bridgewater State Bears emerged victorious over the Salem State Vikings by a score of 2-1 in an exciting MASCAC matchup at Alumni Field on Saturday afternoon. Salem State is now 7-3-2, 3-1, following their first conference loss, while Bridgewater State improves to 6-1-4, 3-0.  

The game got off to an intense start with Salem State scoring first as Gabriel DaSilva (Woburn, Mass.) found the back of the net on a rebound off the hands of Bridgewater's goalie, William Russell (Sandwich, Mass.) with an assist going to Aaron O'Toole (Quincy, Mass.) at 13:41 of the first. The Bears responded however, and tied the game late in the first half when Hector Bucio ( North Eastern, Mass.) capitalized on a rebound in the 41st minute. 

The game remained tied in in the second half, with both sides playing aggressively. It was the Bears who ultimately took the lead when Filippo Mucci (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) scored on an assist from David Nelson (East Bridgewater, Mass.) at the 60:04 mark. The Vikings fought hard to tie the game, but Bridgewater's defense held strong, denying any scoring opportunities by Salem State's forwards.  

As the game progressed, the tension on the field continued to mount as 35 fouls and six yellow cards were issued in the contest. The Vikings had a free kick, and Landon Picillo (Warwick, R.I) came close to tying the game with a headshot, but Russell made the save. Hauntsman made a nice sliding save to prevent the Bears from increasing their lead, but Salem State could not tally the equalizer.

Vikings goalie Matt Hauntsman (Milford, N.H.) finished the game with five saves, while Russell had an impressive 11 saves. Salem State held an 18-11 advantage in shots with a 5-4 edge in corners.