DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Four different plays scored as the Bridgewater State University men's soccer team edged host UMass Dartmouth, 4-3, on Tuesday night at Cressy Field.
The visiting Bears improve to 6-6-2 on the season, while the Corsairs fall to 9-5-1.
All four BSU goals came in the first half as the Bears led 4-1 at the intermission.
Brian Bortolotti (Foxborough, Mass.) scored off a corner kick to open the scoring just 5 ½ minutes into the game. Filipe Gomes (Fogo, Cape Verde) buried a penalty kick attempt in the 26th minute to increase the BSU advantage to 2-0. The goal marked Gomes' team-leading seventh of the season.
A little over two minutes later, Jonathan Pires (Medford, Mass.) headed home a corner kick from Sawyer Fleck (Foxborough, Mass.) to make it a 3-0 game.
Stephan Teixeira (Brockton, Mass.) got the Corsairs on the board in the 31st minute off a feed from Matt Vidal (New Bedford, Mass.). Stationed on the end line, Vidal found a cutting Teixiera who deposited a shot into the back of the net.
Prince Collins (Boston, Mass.) answered for the Bears just 121 seconds later as he converted a cross from Jameson Bradley (Westborough, Mass.). The goal by Collins proved to be the difference in the game.
Trailing 4-1 in the second half, the Corsairs received goals from Vidal and Austin Dias (Smithfield, R.I.) to pull to within one. Vidal beat the BSU keeper on a breakaway in the 54th minute, while Dias scored off the rebound of Vidal's penalty kick attempt in the 85th minute.
UMass held a 19-15 shot advantage as well as a decided 17-3 edge in corner kicks.
BSU rookie netminder Nate Morgado (Dartmouth, Mass.) made nine saves to record his third win of the season.
Luis Carranza (New Bedford, Mass.) made four stops in 45 minutes of action in the setback. Carranza was relieved in the second half by Danny Andrade (New Bedford, Mass.) who made a pair of saves.
The Bears, who are 21-10-5 all-time versus UMass, have won each of the last five meetings of the two teams and are 10-2-1 against the Corsairs over the last 13 meetings.
Bridgewater State will return home for their final regular season home match of the season, hosting MASCAC foe Westfield State University on Saturday at 5:00 PM. UMass welcomes Keene State College for a Little East Conference tilt on Saturday at 7:00 PM.