Owls Upend Vikings in Regular Season Finale

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Salem State men's soccer visited Westfield State University this afternoon for their final regular season match of the year. The Owls emerged victorious, defeating the Vikings 3-1, which brought Salem's record to 5-7-5 overall and 2-3-2 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play.

How it Happened:

• The Owls struck first just eight minutes into the game when Ryan Viana (Framingham, Mass.) slipped one past Marcelo Silva (Marlborough, Mass.) for the opening goal. Silva's counterpart thwarted the Vikings' next two attempts, before Jonathan Diaz (Methuen, Mass) set up Vanilton Xavier (Brockton, Mass.) for the equalizer in the 35th minute.
• Westfield broke the deadlock in the 60th minute and looked to extend their lead to two goals just a minute later but Silva saved the Owl's header, keeping his team within striking distance.
• Luke Theroux (Chicopee, Mass.) would keep his team's lead alive by turning away three attempts by the Vikings before another Westfield goal in the 83^rd minute gave the home team the 3-1 edge. The Vikings would go down swinging in the final two minutes with a pair of corners and a trio of shots, but Theroux and his defense remained solid to secure Westfield's 3-1 victory over the Vikings.

Inside the Numbers:

• Vanilton Xavier scored his fifth goal of the season in this afternoon's effort.

Up Next:
The Vikings are now waiting to learn their seeding for the MASCAC men's soccer playoffs, where they will travel for their matchup next Wednesday, November 6th.