Men's Soccer Blanks Westfield State, 5-0

WESTFIELD, Mass. – The visiting Bridgewater State University men's soccer team posted a 5-0 shutout victory over Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) rival Westfield State University on Saturday at Alumni Field.

The Bears improve to 5-8 on the season with the win and 3-2 in the MASCAC, while the Owls fall to 4-10 overall and 1-4 in conference play. Bridgewater State is 24-15-4 versus the Owls since 1980.

Sophomore defender Jacob Ramos (New Bedford, Mass.) scored his first collegiate goal just 2:18 into the game to give the Bears the early 1-0 lead. Junior midfielder Joseph Madden Jr. (Milford, Mass.) sent a corner kick inside the six which was deflected by freshman defender Justin Silva (North Attleboro, Mass.). The ball went directly to the foot of Ramos who buried a one-timer under the crossbar.

The Bears extended the advantage to 2-0 on an own goal in the 13th minute. The Westfield keeper deflected a shot by BSU forward Robson Montrond (Brockton, Mass.) and then made another stop while sprawled out on the ground. The rebound, however, caromed off an Owl defender and into the back of the net.

Junior forward David Nelson (East Bridgewater, Mass.) tallied his third goal of the season to make it a 3-0 game in the 31st minute. A long throw-in from Madden Jr. was headed out by a Westfield defender. The ball went directly to Nelson who buried a header into the top left corner of the cage.

Sophomore midfielder Will Halben (Attleboro, Mass.) extended the lead in the 60th minute with his first goal of the 2021 campaign. Nelson sent a crossing pass to the front of the net and Halben rifled a shot into the center of the cage.

Freshman forward Ethan Lafontant (Chelmsford, Mass.) potted his second marker of the season in the 82nd minute to cap off the scoring for the Bears. Freshman midfielder Brett Ghelfi (Halifax, Mass.) split two-defenders with a thru-ball and Lafontant beat the on-coming Westfield netminder with a sliding shot inside the left post.

Bridgewater State finished with a 19-9 shot advantage for the game as well as a 5-3 edge in corner kick attempts.

BSU senior goalkeeper William Russell (Sandwich, Mass.) made five saves to record his third win of the season and first collegiate shutout.

Sophomore Emilio Mancuso (Ludlow, Mass.) stopped 11 shots between the pipes for Westfield State.

The Bears are back in action on Tuesday night as they travel to UMass Dartmouth for a seven o'clock game with the Corsairs. The Owls head to Elms College on Wednesday night to take on the Blazers also at seven.