Men's Soccer drops tough 2-1 MASCAC tilt at Salem State

Anthony Basile scored the lone goal for MCLA in a defeat at Salem on Saturday

Men's Soccer drops tough 2-1 MASCAC tilt at Salem State
September 27, 2014
Box Score
Courtesy of Salem State Sports Information
Salem, Mass. --  Salem State's Kevin Gallo (Melrose, MA) scored with under a minute remaining to propel the Vikings to a 2-1, come-from-behind win, over the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Trailblazers in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field. The victory gives Salem State (1-7, 1-1) its first win this season. MCLA slips to 4-4 and 1-1 in conference.
 
The first half was a back-and-forth affair, and just ten minutes in, Salem State had a 2-on-1 opportunity, but the pass went just out of bounds.  Anthony Basile (East Longmeadow, MA) connected on a penalty kick for the Trailblazers to make it 1-0.  MCLA held a slim 7-6 advantage in shots, but was unable to carry the one-goal lead into halftime as the Vikings tied it up at 1-1. Dimitri Flessas (Salem, MA) knocked in a pass from Kelly Abreu  (Salem, MA) at the top of the box with less than thirty seconds remaining in the half.
 
In the second half, the Trailblazers dominated possession for most of the period. MCLA stole a pass and Kwado Kusi (Worcester, MA) rifled a shot from just outside the box, but it hit the post.  Later, Basile tried to chip a ball past Vikings goalie, Nondas Kargakis (Herkalion, Greece), who had come out of the box, but Kargakis made a diving save to preserve the tie and smothered the chip shot from Basile.  The Trailblazers kept the pressure on, and missed a header and open net in the final minutes. Despite limited scoring chances, Salem State persevered, and with less than a minute left, Gallo (Melrose, MA) took a pass and buried a shot that caught the right corner post that gave the Vikings the win. Costa Hatziianou (Danvers, MA) was credited with the assist.
 
Kargakis had six saves for the Vikings, and Matt Robinson (Petersham, NY) stopped four shots for the Trailblazers.
 
Salem State's next game will be at home on Tuesday at 7:00 PM against Eastern Connecticut St.  The Trailblazers will host SUNY Cobleskill on Wednesday at 3:30 PM.