Men's Soccer, Bridgewater State Play To 1-1 Tie In Double Overtime

Worcester, MA ---   Worcester State and Bridgewater State played to a 1-1 tie in double overtime this afternoon in MASCAC men's soccer action this afternoon at Coughlin Field.

With the draw the Lancers move to 4-2-4 overall while the Bears are now 5-4-1. Both squads remain unbeaten in conference play with identical 2-0-1 records.

The Blue and Gold got on the board in the 13th minute when senior Brendan Whitson (Auburn, MA) tallied his second marker of the season on a breakaway. He connected with classmate Alex Wolfel's (Unionville, CT) long pass from the near 30-yard line and finished with a laser beam to the bottom right corner of the net.

Sophomore Kolin Campbell (Norton, MA) helped the Bears net the equalizer as time was running down in the opening frame with his first collegiate marker. Campbell was alone for the unassisted tally at the top of the box following a loose scramble for the ball in the 40th minute. 

After the intermission, Whitson streaked up the right side of the field and had a great opportunity to put his team up by one, but his attempt hit the right post in the 57th minute.

With 20 minutes in regulation, BSU sophomore Nick Keddie (Abington, MA) aired in a long throw in to junior Steve McAvoy (Walpole, MA), who was open on the right side of the box. However, sophomore keeper Nick Zucco (Ludlow, MA) read the play perfectly and snatched the ball on the goal line to preserve the score.

McAvoy had another chance in the 80th minute following a long pass by sophomore Conor Murtagh (Walpole, MA), but his bid trickled past the left post.

In the extra session, the best chance for either team came for Worcester State with under three minutes left to play in the second overtime. Senior Derek Alves (Ludlow, MA) had a good look with a header on in front of the open net, but his bid sailed to the left.

Zucco stopped seven of the eight shots he saw on net while senior Matt Bagley (Braintree, MA) recorded one save between the pipes for the Bears. BSU enjoyed the lead in shots (18-12), shots on goal (8-2) and corners (6-1). 

With his helper this afternoon, Wolfel is now tied with Eugene Gosselin (1997-2000) for sixth place on WSU's all-time scoring list with 65 career points (27 goals – 11 assists).

Both squads will play Commonwealth Coast Conference opponents in the next week. Worcester State takes on regionally-ranked Western New England on Tuesday on the road at 4 PM while the Bears host Roger Williams on Wednesday at 3:30.

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