Win over Buccaneers sends men’s soccer to playoffs
By Avery Slavin
Editorial Staff
The Framingham State Rams took the Mass. Maritime Buccaneers down in a close game Oct. 24. This brings their conference record to 4-1-1 and overall record to 6-7-1. The Rams started strong with senior Landon Medeiros sending a header shot toward the goal within the first 5 minutes, though it strayed too far from the net. Sophomore Tanner Lockwood continued the action and shot the ball toward Mass. Maritime’s goalie Preston Joia, who saved it. Framingham’s goalie, sophomore Colin Holt, held a strong defense as well when the Buccaneers tried to score their first point. Four minutes later, the Buccaneers attempted to score again, sending Holt another shot to save and directing the ball too high above the net right after. Lockwood briefly regained possession of the ball long enough to try to get the Rams on the scoreboard, but the shot was blocked. The Buccaneers were then able to send three goal attempts Holt’s way, but he didn’t let up on his defense and saved each one. Senior Jack Holt put the Rams in the lead by breaking Joia’s defense just before the 25-minute mark. Mass. Maritime tried to put a point on the board, but their next three shots were unsuccessful, two being saved by Colin Holt and the other being blocked. There was tension on the turf, but the Rams didn’t back down. Jack Holt sent the ball toward Joia, though it sailed too high to hit the back of the net. Senior Brian Penney tried to help Framingham bounce back and score the point, but Joia stayed strong on defense. The Buccaneers got the ball away from the Rams and shot it twice, but they couldn’t manage to break Colin Holt’s defense. Joia saved one more shot from Lockwood, and the half concluded with another unsuccessful shot from the Buccaneers. Mass. Maritime started the second half strong with a goal attempt, but Colin Holt didn’t let up. The Buccaneers’ offense proved strong, but two more shots still couldn’t get them on the scoreboard. The ball traveled back and forth for about eight minutes before Lockwood sent the ball toward Joia in hopes of getting a second point, but it didn’t get in the net. Two header shots and two goal attempts from Mass. Maritime still weren’t enough to earn them a point. The Buccaneers were feeling the pressure. They tried four more times to hit the back of the net, but ended the game with zero points. This win earned the Rams the second seed in the MASCAC playoffs. Senior captain Kaio Santos Da Silva said earning a spot in the playoffs is “really special for us. After everything that happened the last two years with injuries and not-so-great seasons, we were finally able to bring together a team and make the playoffs - even better, bringing a home playoff semifinal to Framingham, which is huge for us. “We’ve been working really hard to get these results - coming to practice every day with the right mindset, and not rushing the process. We’re doing everything we can to be ready for Friday,” he added. Junior Logan Winsor said, “We need to keep the intensity high. This year, energy and vibes on and off the field have been high. If we continue to stack good days on top of each other, we will have exactly what we need when playoffs start.” Windsor said making the playoffs as the second seed is “an indescribable feeling. It feels like such a long time in the making, and is so well earned with such hard years prior. “The team this year has meshed well, and it’s super rewarding for all the guys to be where we are right now,” he added.
