NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The visiting Bridgewater State University men's soccer team captured the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) regular season title with a 3-0 shutout victory over MCLA on Friday night at Shewcraft Field.
The Bears wrap up regular season play with an overall record of 10-2-5 including an unbeaten 6-0-1 MASCAC mark. Bridgewater earned its first conference regular season title since 2014 and fifth overall. The Bears will have a first-round bye in next week's MASCAC Tournament and will host a semifinal round game next Friday afternoon at 3:30.
The Trailblazers fall to 5-7-3 on the year and 1-4-2 in the MASCAC.
Junior forward Dominek Borden (New Bedford, Mass.) broke a scoreless tie in the 33rd minute with his third goal of the season. BSU graduate goalkeeper William Russell (Sandwich, Mass.) set up the play with a long punt on the left side. Senior forward Will Halben (Attleboro, Mass.) headed the ball forward and Borden ran onto it just outside the 18, dribbled in and fired a left-footed shot inside the far post.
Sophomore forward Filippo Mucci (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) scored on a one-timer from inside the six off a well-placed crossing pass from freshman midfielder Nicholas Ribeiro (Bellingham, Mass.) in the 62nd minute to extend the BSU lead to 2-0. For Mucci, the goal marked his sixth of the 2023 campaign while the assist for Ribeiro was his team-leading ninth.
Senior defender Matthew Garcia (Foxboro, Mass.) scored off a corner kick in the 84th minute, his third marker of the year, to cap off the 3-0 win. Mucci took the corner and sent the ball to Garcia stationed outside the 18 who blasted a shot into the top-right corner of the net.
Bridgwater held a 20-13 shot advantage for the game while MCLA held a 9-4 edge in corner kick attempts.
Russell made seven saves to record his tenth win of the season and fifth shutout. He now has 23 career wins and 12 shutouts.
Freshman netminder Oliver Le Lacheur (Medford, Mass.) turned aside seven shots in the setback for the Trailblazers.