Men's Soccer Conquers Worcester State
By Taylor Kimmell Sports Editor Traveling to Worcester State Sept. 12, The Framingham State Rams put up two goals in the first half and maintained a solid defense for the remainder of the match, defeating the Lancers 2-0. This win marks the Rams’ second MASCAC victory, with a record of 2-0 in the conference, and a record of 3-1 overall. FSU’s offensive pressure was immediate, with Captain Kaio Santos Da Silva, a senior, earning a corner kick shortly after the 3-minute mark. The ball sailed out of bounds off the foot of a Worcester player, allowing Captain Thiago Magalhaes to take a second corner kick for Framingham. The Lancers were successful in clearing the ball, but the Rams wasted no time bringing it back down the field. Sophomore Michael Macdougall fed the ball in from the 20-yard line, placing it perfectly for senior Jack Holt to cut across the circle and send in the shot, scoring FSU’s first goal of the match. Worcester seized a short offensive push, earning a corner that yielded only one off-the-post shot before Framingham regained possession. Santos Da Silva sent in a shot, but Worcester’s goalkeeper Tobias Schneider was right there to stop it. Worcester made another attempt on goal - the shot went wide. A minute later, Jack Holt attempted to score again, but Schneider stopped the ball. The Rams kept a steady pressure on Worcester's net, with shots by Santos Da Silva, freshman John Constantine, and senior Landon Medeiros over the next 11 minutes. Thirty minutes into the half, Rams’ sophomore goalkeeper Colin Holt made his first save of the match. With this momentum, FSU took the ball back to Worcester’s side, with several well-placed passes allowing Jack Holt to insert his second goal of the match. Now up 2-0, the Rams spent the remaining 10 minutes of the first half defending their lead. Medeiros attempted another goal, but Schneider refused to let up in the net. A wide shot by WSU ended the first half, the Rams still ahead. The first shot of the second half came from Constantine, but it sailed above the net. Worcester quickly responded with two shots, both defended by Colin Holt. Both goalkeepers remained strong in the net, with three saves by Schnider and two by Colin Holt in the next 5 minutes. The next 10 minutes saw two shots from Worcester and one from Santos Da Silva, but nothing could break through either team’s defense. With 6 minutes on the clock, Jack Holt sent in a shot, but Schneider was there to block it. Colin Holt remained a brick wall in the goal, stopping two more hard shots from the Lancers, one in the final 10 seconds. An unadvantageous corner kick from WSU secured the Rams’ 2-0 victory. Colin Holt was named MASCAC’s Defensive Player of the Week Sept. 14, making five saves against Worcester and earning a .900 save percentage for the week. Jack Holt was named MASCAC’s Offensive Player of the Week for his two goals against WSU. Jack Holt said, “Being MASCAC’s offensive player of the week is a good feeling. It’s nice for our players to be recognized after a good team performance and a good win in the conference.” Having a good interpretation of their opponent’s strategy allowed the Rams to come away with the win, he said. “Worcester's style of play was easy for us to read, and after some preparation in training prior to the game, we were able to win the ball in key areas and create threatening chances,” he added. Santos Da Silva agreed, noting the Lancers’ tactics were “similar to other teams we’ve been playing, so it was a pretty easy adjustment. We were also trying to focus more on us and less on them, so we could control the game and come out with the win.” Magalhaes said, “Our main goal was to focus on ourselves and do everything the coaches asked us to do. We knew that if we did that, we would be in a good place.” Framingham put up a good fight in a hard battle at Curry College Sept. 16, but the team was unable to overcome a 4-2 deficit. This brings their overall record to 3-2. Now five matches into the season, the Rams are focused on maintaining good team chemistry and honing in on the skills that contributed to their successes so far. Mahalhaes said, “Team connection is definitely one thing that has improved since last year, and we’re trying to build it even more as the season continues. But I also attribute this strong start to the quality that the new recruits have brought to the team. “It's been really important to our results. Fortunately, the chemistry off the field has translated onto the scoreboard,” he added. Jack Holt said, “The chemistry this year is visibly better than it’s been before. Everyone’s done a great job so far this season with playing their parts as we try to achieve our goals as a team.” Framingham will host the Fitchburg State Falcons for a conference matchup Saturday, Sept 19. Jack Holt said in the upcoming matches, his priority is to “help the team in any way I can and help us keep winning games. “Our goals for the upcoming game against Fitchburg are to keep up our high morale that we’ve had, especially in our conference games, and to do everything we can to make sure we can continue our run of form in the conference,” he added. Santos Da Silva said, “The goal for every match is to win, but right now we’re focusing on these next few practices and the little things we need to do to come out with the result on Saturday. As of right now, the goal is to focus on each game one at a time. Staying in the present is the best thing we can do so we don’t get ahead of ourselves.” Santos Da Silva said while the start to the season has been favorable for FSU, in order to maintain an upward trend, “We need to keep focusing on ourselves and trusting what coach has to say. Our style is very unique compared to other teams in the conference, and trusting what’s working is the best thing we can do to keep it going. “The team has been great together this year. Chemistry has been good on and off the field, everyone is giving their best, and that’s all we can ask for. The results will come if we keep it up,” he added.
