Worcester, MA - The Lancers hit the road to the O'Keefe Sports Complex in Salem to take on the #2 seed Vikings in a hard fought MASCAC Quarter Final battle Friday evening. The only goal in the game scored by Sophomore midfielder Waseem Mahmoud (Northboro, MA) sealed the victory for Worcester as they eliminated the defending champions and punched their ticket to the MASCAC Championship for the first time since 2016.
FINAL SCORE: Worcester 1, Salem 0
SCORING PLAYS:
62:16 - Worcester | Waseem Mahmoud (2), assisted by Taylor Gavaletz (3)
Worcester's first & game-winning strike came in the 62nd minute with a pass from first-year Midfielder Taylor Gavaletz (Dudley, MA) that connected in the middle of the box to Mahmoud to give the Lancers the lead. This was Hawkins' second goal of the 2022 campaign, while Gavaletz recorded his third assist.
Lancer keeper Andy Ramirez (Waltham, MA) played the full 90 minutes and recorded five saves off five shots on goal, while Salem's Matt Hauntsman saved one shot of two a diving save seven minutes into the second half to keep the game at 0-0.
The Vikings did not give up, with promising shots to the net to try to level the game. Ramirez came through to help the Lancers hold onto their lead as the clock winded down.
The Blue & Gold are back home this Sunday as they will meet once again with the #4 seed Bridgewater State Bears in the 2022 MASCAC Championship. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
#WeAreWorcester