Salem State Advances to MASCAC Semifinals

WORCESTER, Mass. – Vanilton Xavier (Brockton, MA) scored twice to lead fifth seed Salem State to a 3-1 victory over fourth seed Worcester State in the quarterfinals of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Tournament on Wednesday at John Coughlin Field. The Vikings (6-7-5, 2-3-2) advance to face top seed Bridgewater State (10-5-2, 6-1) on Friday. The Lancers conclude their season with a record of 4-10-3, 2-2-3.

How it Happened:

• Salem State struck first in the 28' minute as Alex Ixlaj-Tello (Lynn, MA) setup Xavier for a header for the only score of the first half.
• Worcester State's Wilber Garcia (Bilbao, Spain) knotted the game early in the second half, deflecting a shot off a defender into the net. 
• However, Xavier put Salem State back in front in the 60' minute after breaking past the Lancers' defense and beating keeper Tobias Schneider (Hudson, WI).
• Later, Naderson Curtis (Manchester, MA) iced the game, scoring easily on a penalty-kick to make the final 3-1.

Inside the Numbers:

• Xavier now leads the Vikings with seven goals scored.
• Erik Berg (Hadley, MA) made 11 saves in the victory for the Vikings.
• Schneider finished with four saves for Worcester State. 

Up Next:

The Vikings will travel for a MASCAC semifinal match-up with top seed Bridgewater State on Friday, November 8 at 3:30 pm.