2017 MASCAC Men's Soccer News
Westfield, MA — A total of 737 student-athletes have been honored by the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference with selection to the league’s Fall 2017 All-Academic Team that was released earlier today by Commissioner Angela Baumann. Student-athletes that compete in championship varsity sports offered by each of the MASCAC institutions during the Fall 2017 athletic season and have achieved a 3.20 cumulative or semester-based grade point average during the semester are eligible for selection to the Fall All-Academic Team. Worcester State University placed the most student-athletes on the Fall 2017 MASCAC All-Academic Team with 145 total, while Westfield State University (123), Bridgewater State University (89), Massachusetts Maritime Academy (77) and Fitchburg State University (73) followed. “The MASCAC had another successful semester as reflected by the large number of student-athletes recognized on the 2017 MASCAC Fall All-Academic Team,” Commissioner Baumann said. “Finding success in the classroom is equally as important as success on the field of play which our student-athletes have shown time and time again. I am extremely proud of their academic accomplishments.” The Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, the nation’s oldest Division III men’s and women’s playing conference, has a rich and storied tradition of competitive success while celebrating excellence in the classroom. MASCAC member schools include Bridgewater State University, Fitchburg State University, Framingham State University, MCLA, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Salem State University, Westfield State University and Worcester State University. Two other institutions, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Plymouth State University, are affiliate members of the conference in the sports of football and men’s ice hockey, while Western Connecticut State University joined the conference as a football affiliate member in 2013.
Check out the highlights of the fall MASCAC season with a recap of the tournament and awards.
Adam Hildabrand drives 1.3 miles from home to work every day. As the head men’s soccer coach for MCLA, it is living a dream. Little did he know when he first stepped on campus in 1995 as a bright-eyed freshman, that this was the place he would call home for over 20 years.
Forward Mayele Malango was named to the 2017 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III Men's All-New England Region Second Team in an announcement on Wednesday afternoon. Malango became the 28th Salem State player to earn selection to the All-New England Region Team and is the first since Eryk Fernandez in 2012.
47 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) student-athletes have been recognized for their outstanding sportsmanship as members of the 2017 Fall Sportsmanship Teams.
Following the conclusion of the fall regular season, Worcester State has the most points in the first round of the Howard C. Smith Cup standings. The Smith Cup is awarded annually to the member institution which compiles the most points based on the placement of each of its programs competing in the 15 league championship sports.
With two minutes left to play in a tie game, Fikayo Ajayi '19 curled a corner kick into the back of the net for his second goal of the day and No. 16 Amherst College survived a brave ten-man Salem State University squad with a 2-1 victory in their NCAA Tournament First Round game on Saturday at Hitchcock Field.
Mayele Malango of Salem State is the 2017 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Player and Rookie of the Year and headlines the All-Conference Team as voted on by the coaches from around the league.
Chris Jimenez of Salem State and Paul Soucy of Westfield State take home the MASCAC Men's Soccer Player and Rookie of the Week after competing in the MASCAC Tournament last week.
Salem State will face No. 13 Amherst in the opening round of the 2017 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament on Saturday, November, 11 at 11:00 AM. The Vikings (12-5-1) won the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) title over Westfield State with penalty kicks determining the winner while Amherst (11-3-2), which is the regional host site, earned an at-large bid after losing 4-3 to Hamilton in the quarterfinal round of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championship.
Keeper Chris Jimenez (Nashua, N.H.) made two key saves during penalty kicks to help Salem State claim the 2017 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Men's Soccer Championship over Westfield State on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Field. The No. 1 seed Vikings and No. 6 seed Owls battled to a 2-2 tie through double overtime, and it was Jimenez's diving stop of a shot by Kyle Mutti (Feeding Hills, Mass.) on Westfield's State's fifth attempt that ended the drama and sealed the title. Salem State claims their 18th MASCAC championship and will make their 13th appearance in the upcoming NCAA Tournament later this week, with seeding and pairings still to be determined.
After winning their respective semifinal contests on Friday night, Salem State and Westfield State are moving on to the MASCAC Men's Soccer Tournament title game on Sunday at 12 pm.
Framingham State and Westfield State move on to the MASCAC Men's Soccer Tournament semifinal round after winning their respective quarterfinal games on Tuesday.
Mike Pruchnik of Massachusetts Maritime and Pedro Santos of Framingham State take home the MASCAC Men's Soccer Player and Rookie of the Week honorees.
The Salem State Vikings nab the number one seed in the 2017 MASCAC Men's Soccer Tournament which begins on Tuesday, October 31 with the quarterfinal round of games.
Filipe Gomes of Bridgewater State and Nahuel Aligbay of Salem State take home the MASCAC Men's Soccer Player and Rookie of the Week accolades.
