Men’s Soccer hopeful after draw

By Avery Slavin

Editorial Staff

The Framingham State Rams played to a draw against the Salem State Vikings ahead of a nor’easter on Sept. 26.

This brings their overall record to 3-5-1, and their conference record to 2-1-1. 

Just short of the first three minutes, sophomore goalie Colin Holt made his first save. Salem attempted again to score, but Holt stayed strong in front of the net and blocked the ball. 

Senior Gustav Hemmingsen tried to score for the Rams, but Salem’s goalie, Thomas Youden, didn’t allow FSU to get a point on the board. 

Senior Captain Thiago Magalhaes’ header shot was too wide to let the Rams take the lead. 

Before the end of the first half, Salem sent the ball too high over the net and Holt made two more saves on goal, keeping the score 0-0. 

Opening the second half, Holt saved another shot from the Vikings before sophomore Michael Macdougall tried to score a goal of his own, but it flew too high over the net to earn Framingham a point. 

A header shot from Salem couldn’t break Holt’s defense, leading to his sixth save of the game. 

The Vikings sent two more goal attempts Holt’s way, one sailing too high and the other being stopped by Holt. 

During the last 15 minutes of the game, there was not much movement from the Rams to get a point on the scoreboard. Holt saved two more goals from Salem. 

After two more unsuccessful shots from Salem State, the game concluded in a scoreless draw. 

Although the game did not result in a win, the Rams are content with the fact that it wasn’t a loss. 

Senior captain Kaio Santos Da Silva said not losing the game was important to the Rams. 

“Obviously, we wanted to win, but protecting our home field was huge. Our defense performed really well and kept us in the game. Due to some key players being injured, we couldn’t have the success we usually have offensively, so improving that is really important for these next few games, but I’m very happy with the team and the way we performed,” he said. 

Magalhaes is also happy with the team’s performance, especially considering the circumstances. 

He said he thinks the team “handled the game pretty well considering the weather this weekend. It was a very unusual game.” 

As captains, Santos Da Silva and Magalhaes said they work hard to motivate the team to overcome any challenges thrown their way. 

Magalhaes said he hopes to have everyone on the team “healthy and available for games. Even though some injuries are expected, I would like to see everyone ready to play because our squad is stronger when we have everyone available.

“We’ve had some bad luck with injuries earlier in the season, but our trainers are doing an amazing job helping us get back on the field as quickly as possible,” he added. 

Santos Da Silva said regardless of injuries, everyone was well prepared for the game. 

“We had really good practices before, and everything our coach asked for was there,” he said.

Hemmingsen said he also thought the team was well-equipped ahead of the Salem game. 

He said they stuck to their plan of playing strong defense and going forward, the team is collectively looking to improve on attacking and scoring more goals. 

The newest Rams have been adjusting well to the team, including Tanner Lockwood, who said the collegiate level brings a "competitive intensity” he thrives in. 

Although he’s been struggling with injuries, he said he felt really motivated to help the team in any way he could. 

He said, “The players had an incredible game defensively and ultimately, that got us the result. The rain and weather made for difficult playing conditions, but our team brought the energy. 

“We really came together and got a good result against a strong opponent, so for me, it was a very valuable game,” he added. 

Magalhaes said he thinks chemistry is the biggest factor of a successful team. 

He has been “trying to make everyone feel as comfortable as possible with the environment and their teammates, especially the new players.” 

The Rams worked together and put up a tough fight against Roger Williams University on Sept. 29 but ultimately lost 1-0. 

FSU takes on Rhode Island College Oct. 2 on home turf during Homecoming Weekend.