Men's Soccer falls to MASCAC front runner Salem State 4-0
The MCLA Men's Soccer team fell to MASCAC regular season champion Salem State 4-0 this afternoon on the road
Courtesy of Salem State Sports Information
SALEM, MASS. -- Mayele Malango (Lowell, Mass.) and Nahuel Aligbay (Leominster, Mass.) each recorded a goal and a pair of assists as Salem State used four second half scores to defeat MCLA 4-0 in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) match on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field. The Vikings improve to 9-5 and clinch the MASCAC title outright with a perfect 6-0 record. The Trailblazers go to 5-10 overall and 2-4 in conference.
A scoreless first half yielded minimal scoring chances as MCLA played conservative, keeping extra defenders back to help limit Salem State offensively.
The Vikings broke through in the 53rd minute as Nahuel Aligbay (Leominster, Mass.) chipped a pass over the defense into the box, which allowed Grace Dos Santos (Brockton, Mass.) to head the ball past keeper Kamron Anderson (Springfield, Mass.) for the game's first goal.
Joao DeSouza (Lowell, Mass.) increased the lead to 2-0 after Mayele Malango (Lowell, Mass.) beat the defense and set up DeSouza with a cross that the freshman converted into his first goal of the year.
MCLA's best scoring opportunity came in the 60th minute as Romeo Gray (Mashpee, Mass.) broke free, but was stoned by keeper Chris Jimenez (Nashua, N.H.) who then made a second diving save on a rebound attempt by Oscar Castro (Middle Island, N.Y.).
Malango set up the Vikings' third goal as his shot from just outside the box was saved by Anderson, however the rebound went straight to Aligbay, who knocked in the shot for his sixth goal in the 66th minute. Aligbay returned the favor less than three minutes later as he feathered a pass to Malango along the left sideline, who then beat the Trailblazers keeper with a shot that snuck just inside the lower right post.
Jimenez made four saves for Salem State in the win. Gus Savage (Georgetown, Mass.) came in after halftime and finished the game without making a save. Anderson stopped four shots for MCLA, which was outshot 11-6 for the game.