Buccaneers Top Suffolk In Season Opener
BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. - Sophomore striker Ben Cook (Ft. Myers, Fla./Ft. Myers) tallied twice in the opening half of Saturday's Men's Soccer season opener as Massachusetts Maritime (1-0-0) posted a 2-1 non-conference victory over the visiting Rams of Suffolk University (0-1-0) at Clean Harbors Stadium.
Cook delivered the opening blow in the 12th minute on a breakaway, slipping around the Suffolk keeper to the left side. Eight minutes later Cook put the Buccaneers on top with his second goal of the afternoon with a hard shot from 20-yards out that drilled the back of the net.
The Buc's continued to pressure Suffolk keeper David Haines (New York, NY/Dwight School) as Andrew Wayrynen (Rockport, Mass. /Rockport) launched a header off a cross from Cook that forced Haines to make a leaping save. Brady Lemmon (California, MD/St. Mary's Ryken) slammed a ball off the post and Jacob Crawford (Rockland, Mass./Rockland) launched a header off a corner shot by Zach O'Neil (Scituate, Mass./Scituate) as the Buc's kept the heat on Haines in the Suffolk net.
Andrew Young (Glasgow Scotland/Gems World Academy) broke up a Massachusetts run in the 41st minute and Declan Mee (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) got off a shot at the Buccaneers net two minutes later that sailed high.
The Buccaneers took their two-goal lead into the second half facing increased pressure up top from the Rams. Jordan Casey (East Hampton, Conn./East Hampton) and Andrew Collari (Leicester, Mass./Wethersfield) led a vigorous Suffolk attack in the second testing the Buccaneer back line of Ben Paine (Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth), Nick Van Ness (Waldwick, NJ/Waldwick), Kyle Daly (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth South) and Jake Pforr (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth), who fought off the Ram attack until with 20 minutes to play Tucker Mee ( Westwood, Mass./Westwood) took a ball from Leonardo Acosta (Miami, Fla./Miami Beach Senior) and fired a rocket past the outstretched reach of MMA keeper Mitch Hardy (Pepperell, Mass./Groton-Dunstable).
The Buccaneers outshot the Rams 14-4 in the opening half, while the Rams came back to take a 10-4 advantage in shots in the second.
Massachusetts Maritime will host Newbury College on Monday at Clean Harbors Stadium at 6 PM, while the Rams will host Framingham State Monday at noon.