Men's Soccer Edged by Salem State in MASCAC Opener, 2-1

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Freshman midfielder Igor Caldas (Vitoria, Brazil) tallied a pair of goals to lead the visiting Salem State University men's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Bridgewater State University in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Swenson Field.

The defending conference champion Vikings improve to 5-1 on the season and 1-0 in the MASCAC, while the Bears fall to 4-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play.

Caldas opened the scoring in the 34th minute as he buried a shot from the top of the 18 inside the right post off a short cross from freshman midfielder Gabriel Meireles (Everett, Mass.).

Then Vikings made it a 2-0 game in the minutes as Caldas converted a penalty kick in the 54th minute. Meireles drew the foul that led to the PK attempt.

Salem junior keeper Chris Jimenez (Nashua, N.H.) stopped a penalty kick attempt by BSU senior midfielder Kane Moran (Perth, Australia) in the 66th minute as the Vikings maintained the two-goal advantage.

The Bears cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 72nd minute as senior midfielder Kessy Alves (Brockton, Mass.) headed home a cross from sophomore forward Loubensky Lucas (Stoughton, Mass.). Freshman midfielder Oliver Peluso Nora (Toms River, N.J.) also assisted Alves' team-leading third goal of the season.

Jimenez made nine saves to record his fifth win on the season between the pipes for the Vikings. BSU junior netminder Nate Morgado (Dartmouth, Mass.) turned aside five shots in the setback for the Bears.

In a fairly evenly played contest, Bridgewater finished with a 20-19 shot advantage as well as an 8-7 edge in corner kick attempts. The two teams were whistled for 32 fouls and each squad received three yellow cards.

In upcoming action, the Bears entertain Clark University on Tuesday evening at seven, while the Vikings host UMass Dartmouth on Wednesday night also at seven.