Rouette's Equalizer Lifts Men's Soccer To 1-1 Draw At Westfield State, Clinchs Berth In MASCAC Semifinals
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | OT2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mass. Maritime (7-8-2, 4-1-2 MASCAC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
|
Westfield St. (8-7-2, 2-3-2 MASCAC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME MEN’S SOCCER
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Alumni Field, Westfield, Mass.
FINAL: MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME 1, WESTFIELD STATE 1 (DOUBLE OVERTIME)
WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Junior Mick Rouette’s (Three Rivers, Mass.) goal in the 19th minute proved to be the equalizer as Massachusetts Maritime and Westfield State battled to a 1-1 double overtime draw in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference men’s soccer finale for both teams Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field.
The visiting Buccaneers (7-8-2, 4-1-2 MASCAC) clinched a berth into next weekend’s MASCAC semifinals and will host a playoff contest next Friday evening at Clean Harbors Stadium at 7:00 p.m. Massachusetts Maritime can clinch its first-ever MASCAC regular season title later this evening, as a victory by Bridgewater State over Worcester State or a tie between the two teams would provide the Buccaneers with the crown. A win by the host Lancers gives Worcester State the regular season title, and Massachusetts Maritime would then finish second and host the winner of Tuesday’s quarterfinal round match between third-seeded Framingham State and sixth-seeded Fitchburg State.
The host Owls (8-7-2, 2-3-2 MASCAC), who were eliminated from MASCAC tournament contention with the draw, took the lead just 1:16 into the match when senior Luke Memmer (Hilo, Hawai’i) converted a corner kick from fellow senior Zack Carlson (Fall River, Mass.). Rouette answered back for the Buccaneers just over 17 minutes later when he deflected in a free kick off the foot of freshman Adam Crawford (Kingston, Mass.) for his third goal of the season. That would prove to be the scoring on the day despite the teams combining for 44 shots overall, as each team had a pair of chances in the extra session but were unable to convert a golden goal opportunity.
Junior Mike Pruchnik (Rochester, Mass.) made six saves in the tie for Massachusetts Maritime, while junior Alex Kraver (West Springfield, Mass.) also made six stops in net for Westfield State. The Owls outshot the Buccaneers by a 24-20 margin overall and held a 10-7 edge in corner kicks for the contest, as each team registered seven shots on net on the afternoon.
