By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- One year ago, there was plenty of drama in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference men's soccer championship game.

Bridgewater State University was defeated by Worcester State University in the sixth round of penalty kicks in a frustrating end to its season.

One year later, the Bears made sure there would be no drama in the 2023 MASCAC title game.

Led by a quick hat trick from senior David Nelson (East Bridgewater, Mass.), top-seeded Bridgewater State scored five first-half goals in just 22:21 on the way to a 5-0 victory over second-seeded Westfield State University.

The victory at Peter Mazzaferro Field on Sunday afternoon gives the Bears (12-2-5) their sixth MASCAC tournament championship and the first since 2018.

Nelson was named the most valuable player of the tourney after getting three goals and two assists in a pair of wins.

BSU earned the automatic bid in the 64-team NCAA Division 3 tournament that begins on Friday. The selection show announcing the pairings is Monday at 2 p.m. on ncaa.com.

The Bears will be making their seventh appearance in the NCAAs, also qualifying in 1990, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 and 2018.

The bitter taste of last season's defeat to Worcester State was replaced by a championship celebration on BSU's own turf before an enthusiastic crowd.

"It was a ton of motivation to get out here and win," said Nelson, thinking back to last year's loss. "We kept our heads up. We kept grinding all summer and all preseason and now we're here.

"Everybody's been working. The morning runs in preseason, the practices. We're always been prepared since last year's loss in the final. We came back and got ready."

The Bears won the regular-season title with a 6-0-1 record, then posted two shutout wins in the tourney. The 12 wins are the most since the 2015 team recorded 17.

"It's an unbelievable feeling," said Nelson of the title. "We came so close last year and this year, to win it on our home turf, it's an unbelievable feeling. I couldn't imagine it being any better.

"These are the best guys, the best team we've had here in a while. The coaches are outstanding. Everybody's put in a 100 percent effort. It's awesome."

Goalkeeper William Russell (Sandwich, Mass.) made four saves after recording seven in Friday's semifinal-round win over Framingham State. He is now fifth on BSU's all-time list with 25 wins and 14 1/2 shutouts.

"It's a dream come true," said the graduate student. "It's everything we pictured and so much more. We worked so hard for this, especially after losing last year in the final.

"Last year was very rough, but we knew we had another chance to make it here and win the whole thing."

Coach Brendan Adams has put together a balanced team with a strong returning cast plus a solid freshman class.

"The guys were motivated," said Adams. "I give them a lot of credit. They came back to win. It's easy to coach when you have good players."

Nelson scored his three goals in just over six minutes after assisting on BSU's first score of the game.

Nelson moved into second place on the Bears' all-time list for points with 76, leaving him behind only David Son (100 from 1989-19). With 30 career goals, he is now third behind Son (42) and BSU Hall of Famer Conor Murtagh (32 from 2012-15).

Nelson also had a hat trick in the regular season against Westfield State and scored 12 goals against the Owls in four games over the past two years.

BSU took a 1-0 lead less than five minutes into the game when Nicholas Ribeiro (Bellingham, Mass.) converted a throw-in from the left side by Nelson. Ribeiro's sixth goal of the season came less than five minutes into the game.

Nelson followed just over two minutes later with an unassisted goal off a restart, scoring from in front of the net.

The lead went to 3-0 nearly three minutes later when the Bears stole the ball and Ethan Mallett (Ellington, Conn.) fed Nelson, who went one-on-one with a defender and scored.

Nelson recorded his hat track in the span of 6:13 when he scored in the 14th minute. Nelson took a pass from Filippo Mucci (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) and ripped a shot past a defender and the sprawling Westfield goalkeeper.

"It felt good to do it in a championship game at home," said Nelson.

The Bears held a 5-0 halftime lead when Mallett scored, assisted by Dominek Borden (New Bedford, Mass.) and Jacob Ramos (New Bedford, Mass.).

A corner kick hit the crossbar and the ball bounced around in front with Mallett converting a rebound less than 19 minutes remaining in the half.

"We were confident because we had beaten them in the regular season (6-0)," said Adams. "They had a long game on Friday. We just jumped them. We did a really good job right from the start."

It marked the first time that BSU has clinched the MASCAC tournament on its own field.

"I told them before the game to understand what this is," said Adams. "I told them that they'll set up the tables right there and that's where they hand out the awards. We had a chance to do this in front of our fans. It was great."

Now it's on to the NCAA tourney for the first time in five years.

"We're excited," said Russell. "We know we'll play a really good team, but we're excited for the competition and to get to the tournament."