WORCESTER, Mass. – Mass. Maritime's Brandan Gawron (Braintree, Mass.) scored the Buccaneers' game-winning goal in the 29th minute to lift them over the Worcester State Lancers in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) opener Saturday evening at Coughlin Stadium.
With the win, the Buccaneers advance to 3-2 and mark their first MASCAC victory, while the Lancers dip to .500 (2-2) and start with an 0-1 record.
The Buccaneers primarily held possession of the ball in the first half, as they outshot the Lancers 12-7, most of which came in the first 25 minutes of play. Following Gawron's goal, assisted by Thomas McCarthy (Tybee Island, Ga.), the Lancers started to fight back and generate some more opportunities on offense. However, the Buccaneers' defense and keeper, Mike Pruchnik (Rochester, Mass.) did not allow an opportunity for the Lancers to knot the score.
Following the intermission, the Lancers held the Buccaneers to just four shots while they fired off 12. In the 79th minute, Worcester State's Bryan Brasil (Williamsburg, Mass.) and Etjon Rapi (Worcester, Mass.) had two back-to-back shots, one of which was bicycle shot, though, they were kept out of the goal by the Buccaneers' defense.
Pruchnik registered his first shutout of the season in a 10-save performance. On the other end, Worcester State's Jason Barrett (Spencer, Mass.) grieved his first loss of the season in an eight-save performance.
Both teams resume play on Wednesday (Sep. 21) as the Lancers travel to Elms College and the Buccaneers entertain Anna Maria College, both in 7:00 p.m. matchups.