Late Goals By McInnis, Robbs Lift Men's Soccer To 2-0 MASCAC Victory At MCLA As Bucs Clinch First Playoff Berth In Nine Years
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mass. Maritime (7-8-2, 3-3-1) | 0 | 2 | 2 |
|
MCLA (5-9-1, 1-5-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME MEN’S SOCCER
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Shewcraft Field, North Adams, Mass.
FINAL: MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME 2, MCLA 0
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- Goals by sophomore Connor McInnis (Duxbury, Mass.) and junior Rob Robbs (Braintree, Mass.) in the final 9:51 of action lifted Massachusetts Maritime to a 2-0 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference men’s soccer victory over MCLA Saturday afternoon at Shewcraft Field.
The win enabled the visiting Buccaneers (7-8-2, 3-3-1 MASCAC) to clinch the fourth seed in the upcoming MASCAC Championships, as Massachusetts Maritime will host fifth-seeded Salem State in quarterfinal round play on Tuesday evening at Clean Harbors Stadium beginning at 7:00 p.m. The conference playoff berth is the Buccaneers’ first since 2004.
McInnis gave the visitors the only tally they would need in the 81st minute, as he broke up the scoreless affair on a feed from fellow sophomore Taylor Sjoberg (Mansfield, Mass.) for his third goal of the season. Robbs picked an opportune time to net his first marker of the campaign just 5:34 later, as he collected a loose ball in front off a direct kick to provide an insurance goal and account for the final score.
Freshman Joe Cohen (Plymouth, Mass.) picked up his fifth victory of the season with a seven-save effort in goal for Massachusetts Maritime, while senior Shawn Willis (Stephentown, N.Y.) made four stops in the setback for the host Trailblazers (5-9-1, 1-5-1 MASCAC), who outshot the Buccaneers by a 21-10 margin (8-6 on goal) and took all five corners on the afternoon. The win was the visitors’ first at Shewcraft Field since notching a 3-1 triumph back on October 23, 2004.
Tuesday’s other MASCAC quarterfinal round contest will pit third-seeded Bridgewater State against sixth-seeded Fitchburg State, as the winner of the Massachusetts Maritime-Salem State match-up will head to top-seeded Worcester State in next Friday’s semi-finals, while the Bridgewater State-Fitchburg State victor travels to second-seeded Framingham State. Today’s match marked the final contest of the season for MCLA.
