Yoder's Late Goal Earns Salem 2-2 MASCAC Draw vs. Westfield

THE BASICS 
Salem State, 2 vs. Westfield State, 2

Records: 
Westfield State University Owls (4-1-1, 1-0-1 MASCAC)
Salem State University Vikings (2-3-2, 0-1-2 MASCAC)

Location: Salem, Mass. - Alumni Field

Date: Saturday, September 20, 2025

THE LEAD— Down 2-1 with 28 seconds left to play, a late Kaden Yoder (Ashburnham, Mass.) goal gave the Salem State Men's Soccer team a crucial 2-2 draw in MASCAC play Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both sides played each other hard early in the first, and at 27:01, Westfield broke the scoreless tie courtesy of a Nick Parakilas goal. From then on, Salem applied offensive pressure by peppering the Owls' goalie, Marko Kononenko with four shots, but were turned away each time as the visitors took a 1-0 lead into halftime.
• Shortly into the second (52:08), Westfield tacked on another goal once again from Parakilas after being set up by Sonny Mazza and Aidan Ferguson. However, the Vikings eventually got on the board after Michael Echavarria (Boston, Mass.) capitalized on a penalty kick at the 71:33 mark.
• As the contest was winding down, Stephane Fevry (Haverhill, Mass.) headed a shot towards the net, which allowed Yoder to sneak his shot past Kononenko for the eventual 2-2 draw. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Echavarria's score was his first of the 2025 season.
• Yoder's goal is his second, which is a new career-high for the sophomore. 
• Marcelo Silva (Marlborough, Mass.) ended the afternoon with four stops.
• Kononenko finished the day with 11 saves.
• Salem State held the advantage in shots, 15-9. The squad also took more corners than Westfield by a 5-2 margin. 

UP NEXT

• Salem State continues its four-game homestand on Wednesday, September 24 when the squad hosts Gordon College at 7:00 p.m.