Men's Soccer Earns Fourth Seed In MASCAC Championship Tournament

Buzzards Bay, Mass. - Westfield State University has earned the top seed in the 2010 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Championships, which begin with semi-final round play on Wednesday, November 3rd and conclude with the 2010 MASCAC Championship match on Saturday, November 6th.

Regular season conference champion Westfield State will host fourth-seeded Framingham State University in Wednesday's first semi-final round match at 7:00 p.m. EDT, while second-seeded Bridgewater State University will host third-seeded Salem State University in Wednesday's other semi-final round contest that also begins at 7:00 p.m. EDT. The two semi-final winners will meet for the 2010 MASCAC Championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championships on Saturday at the site of the highest remaining seed at a time to be determined.

Head Coach Matt Noyes' Owls posted an overall mark of 14-3 during the regular season, including a 6-1 slate in MASCAC play. Junior forwards Josh Severns (Suffield, Conn.) and Tim Parsons (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) have combined for 16 goals and nine assists to date for Westfield State, while junior netminder Jeff Pepoli (Ashburnham, Mass.) has posted a 13-3 mark in net with 76 saves and six shutouts.

Bridgewater State sported a regular season mark of 12-4 and finished second in MASCAC play with a 5-2 mark. Junior Jose DePina (Boston, Mass.) and sophomore Matt Palatino (Ludlow, Mass.) have combined for 17 goals and 36 points to date for Head Coach Brendan Adams' Bears, while junior DJ Siewierski (Stow, Mass.) is 10-4 in goal with 77 saves and five shutouts.

Defending tournament champion Salem State posted a 7-5-4 regular season slate and finished with a 4-2-1 mark in MASCAC play under Head Coach Don Goodwin, as the Vikings are paced in scoring by senior forward David Miller's (Lancaster, Pa.) nine goals and 20 points. Senior Luis Marques (Fall River, Mass.) is 6-3-3 in goal for Salem State with an 0.90 GAA and three shutouts.

Framingham State rounds out this year's MASCAC championship field, as the Rams of Head Coach Dean Nichols finished the regular season at 11-8 overall and 4-3 in league play. Senior Jason Silva (Northbridge, Mass.), the reigning MASCAC Player of the Year, leads Framingham State in scoring with 15 goals and 35 points, while fellow senior Greg Halle (Beverly, Mass.) has made 99 saves and recorded five shutouts to date.

Ironically, both of the 2010 MASCAC semi-final match-ups are repeat contests for the 2009 semi-final round, as last year Bridgewater State and Westfield State were the top two seeds in the championships. Salem State claimed the 2009 MASCAC tournament title as the fourth seed with a 1-0 victory over Westfield State in the championship match.

2010 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Championships

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD – SEMI-FINALS

Game #1: #4 Framingham State (11-8, 4-3) at #1 Westfield State (14-3, 6-1) 7:00 pm

Game #2: #3 Salem State (7-5-4, 4-2-1) at #2 Bridgewater State (12-4, 5-2) 7:00 pm

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH – CHAMPIONSHIP (AT HIGHEST REMAINING SEED)

Semi-Final Winners TBA