Vikings Upset Top Seeded Bears to Advance to Championship

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Salem State men's soccer traveled to top-seeded Bridgewater State University this afternoon to take on the Bears for a spot in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's soccer championship. The fifth- seeded Vikings played the one- seeded Bears to an scoreless draw after double overtime, forcing a shootout. The Vikings would come out of the shootout victorious after Vanilton Xavier (Brockton, Mass.) secured the dagger to send Salem State men's soccer to the Championship game on Sunday.

How it Happened:

• The opening stanza featured a defensive showdown, with the Bears holding a slight edge in shot attempts (8-4). Both teams recorded two shots on goal, but neither was able to break through, leaving the game scoreless at the break.
• The second half played out similarly, with the Bears again out-shooting the Vikings. However, Erik Berg (Hadley, Mass.) was stellar in goal, turning away four shots to keep the Vikings in the game and preserve the 0-0 deadlock, sending the match into overtime.
• With five minutes remaining in overtime, Bridgewater thought they had won the game after sending the ball past Berg, however, the referee waved off the goal, signaling an offside violation, which kept the Vikings' season alive and set the stage for penalty kicks.
• Salem's freshmen stepped up in the shootout, with Marcelo Silva (Marlborough, Mass.) chosen to man the goal for the penalty kicks while Michael Echavarria (Boston, Mass.), Naderson Curtis (Manchester, Mass.), and Ishmail Kamara (Freetown, Sierra Leone) all lined up for shots. Silva allowed the first Bears' attempt to slip by but then saved the next two. Meanwhile, his three classmates each converted their kicks, giving Salem a 3-1 lead. The Bears answered to bring the shootout to 3-2, setting the stage for senior Vanilton Xavier (Brockton, Mass.) to take the decisive shot. Xavier coolly finished with a left-corner goal, sealing the victory and sending the Vikings to the MASCAC men's soccer championship game.

Inside the Numbers:

• Erik Berg saved seven shots en route to his second shutout of the season.
• Naderson Curtis has now scored on penalty kicks in back-to-back games while Ishmail Kamara's penalty kick marked the first goal of his career in the orange and blue.
• This Sunday will mark the Vikings' fourth appearance in the Championship game in seven years.

Up Next:
The Vikings will face the winner of Fitchburg State and Westfield State this Sunday, November 10^th for the MASCAC men's soccer Championship.