Men’s soccer drops hard-fought conference match
- Sophia Oppedisano
- Sep 19
- 3 min read
The Framingham State men’s soccer team fell short 2-1 in closely contested MASCAC action against the Worcester State Lancers at home Sept. 13.
The loss brought the Rams' overall record to 2-3, while their conference record fell to 0-2 to start the 2025 season.
Though they’re yet to collect a conference win, the Rams are off to a positive start on the heels of a 1-13-3 season in 2024.
The Rams and Lancers played in another tight contest during the 2024 season, and the Rams’ 1-0 win was the only game in their win column. Framingham is picked to finish seventh in the MASCAC Preseason Poll, while Worcester is projected to take the sixth spot.
To begin this season’s rematch, the Lancers jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the first five minutes of play, scoring on the Rams' starting goalkeeper, Colin Holt, a freshman.
Despite the loss, Colin Holt put up a brilliant performance for Framingham with 10 saves of Worcester’s 12 shots on goal.
Colin Holt received MASCAC Defensive Player of the Week honors Sept. 2 after posting a shutout victory against Lasell University in his first career game Aug. 30.
Worcester kept the pressure on Colin Holt with three more shots in the first 15 minutes, one of which forced Colin Holt into a sliding save.
Colin Holt lobbed the ball downfield, where junior Brian Penney, sophomore Landon Medeiros, and freshman Graham Tinkham were waiting to execute a series of passes that evaded the Lancers’ defense.
Penney took off to receive a final pass from Tinkham near the corner of the net, which he lofted into the air to connect with a jumping header shot off sophomore Isaiah Harris.
Harris netted the ball to tie the game 1-1.
For the remainder of the first half, the Rams continued to put pressure on Worcester but consistently struggled with dropped passes and ball placement in the offensive zone.
The Rams committed 11 fouls in the first half and received one yellow card. Criticism of the referees rose both on the field and from the fans in the stands as fouls mounted on the home team.
As the clock wound down to signal the end of the first half, the tension between both teams was palpable.
The Lancers were fully in control at the start of the second half, creating early opportunities in their offensive zone and drawing the Rams offside.
Worcester connected with five quick shots in the first 10 minutes, two of which were saved by Colin Holt to keep the score even.
Fouls continued to be troublesome for both teams throughout the second half, but each team was issued a yellow card in the first 12 minutes of play.
Framingham’s yellow card resulted in a penalty kick for Worcester.
The Lancers capitalized on the opportunity with a shot that misdirected Colin Holt in the opposite direction of the ball to take a 2-1 lead over the Rams.
The Rams had several opportunities in their offensive zone, including a nail-biting penalty kick from Tinkham and a shot on goal from senior Gustav Hemmingsen, but neither connected with the back of the net.
After the loss to the Lancers, the Rams evened their overall record to 3-3 in a 4-1 win over the Elms College Blazers.
Colin Holt stayed dominant in goal, and Harris and freshman Michael MacDougall each scored a goal in the second half, while junior Jack Holt scored both goals in the first.
The Rams return to MASCAC action at Fitchburg State University Sept. 20.
