Women's Soccer Suffers 2-0 Setback to Salem State in Regular Season Finale

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University women's soccer team suffered a 2-0 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) setback to visiting Salem State University on Saturday afternoon at Swenson Field.

The game marked the regular season finale for both teams as well as Senior Day for host Bridgewater.

The visiting Vikings improve to 7-7-2 on the season and 3-3-1 in MASCAC play.  The Bears, who closed out the regular season with four straight losses, fall to 6-8-2 overall and 3-2-2 in conference play.

Junior forward CeCelia Cresta-Devine (Saugus, Mass.) opened the scoring in the seventh minute as she scored on a breakaway.  After getting behind the BSU defense, Cresta-Devine slipped a shot past the charging goalkeeper and into the left side of the net.

The Vikings made it a 2-0 game right at the 72-minute mark as sophomore midfielder Amy Griffith (Middleton, Mass.) scored off an assist from junior midfielder Sara Previte (Beverly, Mass.). Off a corner, Previte headed a pass to Griffith who ripped a shot inside the right post.

Salem dominated play from beginning to end as the Vikings outshot the Bears, 15-3, and held a 4-1 edge in corner kicks.

Bridgewater's best scoring opportunity came in the 19th minute as senior forward Erica Jonasson (Wrentham, Mass.) was stopped on a semi-breakaway.

Sophomore Rachel Ledbetter (Dracut, Mass.) made two saves to post her seventh win and sixth shutout of the season between the pipes for the Vikings.  Senior Kerry Condon (Whitman, Mass.) turned aside three shots in the loss for the Bears.

Despite the loss, Bridgewater will still be seeded third in next week's MASCAC Tournament and will host sixth-seeded MCLA in first round play on Tuesday.  Salem is seeded fifth and will travel to fourth-seeded Worcester State.

Prior to the game, the Bears honored seniors Jonasson, Condon, Olivia Creonte (Waltham, Mass.), Caley McClendon (Keene, N.H.), Katie Johnson (Marshfield, Mass.), Katie Nasuti (Millbury, Mass.) and Megan O'Leary (Whitman, Mass.).