Men's Soccer Earns Top Seed in 2011 MASCAC Men's Soccer Championships

Buzzards Bay, Mass. - Framingham State University has earned the top seed in the 2011 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Championships, which begin with semi-final round play on Thursday, November 3rd and conclude with the 2011 MASCAC Championship match on Saturday, November 5th.

Regular season conference champion Framingham State will host fourth-seeded Westfield State University in Thursday's first semi-final round match at Maple Street Field in Framingham, Mass. beginning at 1:00 p.m. EDT, while second-seeded Salem State University will host third-seeded Worcester State University in Thursday's other semi-final round contest at Alumni Field in Salem, Mass. that begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT. The two semi-final winners will meet for the 2011 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.

Framingham State collected six overall victories and posted a 5-1-1 slate in league play this fall under Head Coach Dean Nichols, and the Rams are led by sophomore Ronaldo Vieira (Framingham, Mass.), who has nine goals and two assists for 20 points. Sophomore Romulo Carvalho (Milford, Mass.) and freshman Cory Cardeiro (Fall River, Mass.) each have 10 points for Framingham State, while junior Sam Yoder (Southbridge, Mass.) has collected five wins to go with a 1.63 goals against average.

Defending conference tournament champion Salem State notched an overall mark of 11-6, including 5-2 in MASCAC play, under Head Coach Don Goodwin, and the Vikings are led the by the conference's leading scorer in senior Rafael Santos (East Boston, Mass.), who has 13 goals and five assists for 31 points. Senior Owen Quane (Weymouth, Mass.) chips in with four goals and 18 points for Salem State, while junior Scott Hall (Waltham, Mass.) has seven victories and a 1.28 goals against average.

Worcester State posted an 8-7-2 regular season slate and finished with a 4-2-1 mark in MASCAC play under Head Coach Jason Willis, as the Lancers are led in scoring by sophomore Alex Wolfel (Unionville, Conn.), who has eight goals and three assists for 19 points. Senior Justin Biela (Bridgewater, Mass.) follows with four goals and 12 points for Worcester State, while senior Evan Wilga (Dudley, Mass.) has recorded eight wins and a 1.17 goals against average in net.

Westfield State rounds out this year's MASCAC championship field, as the Owls of Head Coach Matt Noyes finished the regular season at 10-6-1 overall and 4-2-1 in league play. Senior Josh Severns (Suffield, Conn.) leads Westfield State in scoring with eight goals and two assists for 18 points, while fellow senior Justin Laliberte (Easthampton, Mass.) follows with five goals and 14 points. Senior Jeff Pepoli (Ashburnham, Mass.) has seven wins and 1.41 goals against average to date for the Owls.

Salem State, the two time defending MASCAC tournament champion, claimed the 2010 MASCAC crown with a 3-0 victory over Framingham State in the championship match.

Release courtesy of MASCAC Media Relations.