Buzzards Bay, Mass. --  With all of the post-season magic that has taken place in the region during the past few weeks, the Massachusetts Maritime men’s soccer team is looking to create a little of its own in the coming days.

The Buccaneers have clinched their first Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference playoff berth in nine years, as Head Coach Greg Perry’s squad is seeded fourth in the 2013 league championships and will host fifth-seeded Salem State in a quarterfinal round match on Tuesday, November 5^th at Clean Harbors Stadium beginning at 7:00 p.m. EST.  The winner of that contest advances to the MASCAC semifinals on Friday, November 8^th to take on top-seeded Worcester State, and the 2013 MASCAC championship match will take place on Sunday, November 10^th at the site of the highest remaining seed.

Massachusetts Maritime has posted seven overall victories and a pair of ties in 17 regular season matches, including a 3-3-1 slate in conference action that was good for fourth place in the final standings.  Included in that win total was a 2-1 triumph over 2012 MASCAC regular season champion Salem State back on September 21^st at Alumni Field in Salem, Mass., as sophomore Nick Parker’s (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth South) goal in the 71^st minute of action held up as the deciding tally that gave the Buccaneers their first victory over the Vikings since 2004.

Perry, whose 21 years at the helm makes him the dean of MASCAC coaches, has seen his squad post a balanced attack this fall, as senior back and 2012 all-league selection Asa Mills (Westport, Mass./Bishop Stang) paces Massachusetts Maritime in the scoring column with four goals and an assist for nine points, including the game-winning tally in a 1-0 overtime triumph at rival Bridgewater State on October 19^th.  Sophomore midfielder Connor McInnis (Duxbury, Mass./Tabor Academy) follows with three goals and an assist for seven points, including a pair of game-winners against rival Coast Guard on September 16^th and in last Saturday’s 2-0 victory at MCLA, while Parker and freshman Thomas McCarthy (Tybee Island, Ga./Benedictine Military) have each collected three goals for six points.

Mills, along with fellow senior tri-captains Daniel Riley (Hanover, Mass./Hanover) and Stephen Machaby (Rockland, Mass./Rockland), anchor Perry’s defensive unit, as Massachusetts Maritime has allowed one or fewer goals in 10 matches this fall.  Freshman Joe Cohen (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth South) has emerged as a solid last line of defense for the Buccaneers, as he has started in nine of 15 matches while posting five wins, two ties and three shutouts to go with a 1.75 goals against average and 83 saves.  Mills and Cohen have each earned MASCAC Player of the Week honors during the regular season, while Cohen joined fellow freshmen Konnor Scarponi (Brunswick, Maine/Brunswick) and Thomas Funkhauser (Purcellville, Va./Loudoun Valley) in copping the conference’s Rookie of the Week accolade.

Salem State enters post-season play having amassed three overall victories and a tie under fifth year Head Coach Don Goodwin, as the Vikings posted a 2-4-1 slate in MASCAC action.  Senior forward Eryk Fernandez, the reigning conference Player of the Year, leads Salem State in scoring with five goals for 10 points, while fellow senior Saimir Zepaj and junior Max Mondestin follow with a combined five goals and three assists for 13 points.  Junior Nondas Kargakis has notched three shutouts in net for the Vikings with 81 saves in 15 starts.

Massachusetts Maritime is making its first MASCAC playoff appearance since 2004, as that year saw the Buccaneers earn the second seed in the four-team league championships before falling to third-seeded Bridgewater State in the semi-finals.  Salem State, however, enters Tuesday’s quarterfinal looking to advance to the conference title match for the fifth straight season, as the Vikings copped the crown in each of Goodwin’s first two seasons at the helm before falling in the championship round to Framingham State in 2011 and to Westfield State last fall.

Tuesday’s other MASCAC quarterfinal clash will pit third-seeded Bridgewater State against sixth-seeded Fitchburg State at Swenson Field in Bridgewater, Mass. beginning at 2:00 p.m. EST, as the winner of that contest travels to second-seeded Framingham State for a league semi-final date on Friday morning.

Live stats and video links for Tuesday’s Massachusetts Maritime-Salem State match will be available at www.mmabucs.com.  For more information on the 2013 MASCAC Men’s Soccer Championships, please visit www.mascac.com.

2013 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Championships

QUARTERFINALS – TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5^TH

Game #1:            #6 Fitchburg State (6-7-5) at #3 Bridgewater State (7-7-3)                             2:00 pm

Game #2:            #5 Salem State (3-12-1) at #4 MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME (7-8-2)           7:00 pm

SEMIFINALS – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8^TH

Game #3:            Bridgewater/Fitchburg winner at #2 Framingham State (7-11-1)                 11:00 am

Game #4:            MASS. MARITIME/Salem winner at #1 Worcester State (10-3-4)                                7:00 pm

CHAMPIONSHIP – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10^TH (AT HIGHEST REMAINING SEED)

Game #5:            Semifinal Winners                                                                                                           TBD