SALEM – Ryan Smith (Shelton, Conn.) notched his first goal of the season and Salem State’s defense held off a determined UMass Dartmouth team 2-1 at Alumni Field on Wednesday evening. The Vikings improve to 2-1-2 while the Corsairs slide to 4-3.
Smith curled a shot from 20 yards out that went over the outstretched arms of UMass Dartmouth keeper Luis Carranza (New Bedford, Mass.) for a 1-0 Salem State lead just eight minutes into the game.
Salem State’s defense was challenged for most of the half, making many key stops as the Corsairs’ forwards continually pressured the Vikings’ zone. Vander Brito (Boston, Mass.) nearly tied the game in the 24th minute, but his shot deflected off the hands of a diving Greg Enos (Peabody, Mass.) and hit the post. Two Minutes later, UMass Dartmouth again nearly tied the game when Matt Vidal (New Bedford, Mass.) made a nice move and caught Enos out of position, but his shot hit the near post as Salem State once again avoided another good scoring opportunity for UMass Dartmouth. Vidal nearly tied the game in the 35th minute when his shot headed directly toward an open net, but Pat Scanlan (Stoneham, Mass.) deflected the ball away at the last second to preserve the 1-0 lead.
The second half saw the Corsairs continue to pressure the Salem State defense, but Kelly Abreu (Salem, Mass.) increased the lead when his shot from 20 yards out surprised Carranza, who misplayed the ball into a 2-0 Vikings’ lead in the 57th minute. UMass Dartmouth looked to take back the momentum as Stephan Teixeira (Brockton, Mass.) lined up for a penalty kick, but his attempt was thwarted by Enos to keep the shutout intact.
UMass Dartmouth changed goalies as Danny Andrade (New Bedford, Mass.) replaced Carranza and he made an immediate impact as he stoned Salem State’s Kevin Gallo (Como. Italy) on a breakaway that would have given the Vikings a three-goal cushion.
The Corsairs finally broke through in the 78th minute when Fabio Araujo (Brockton, Mass.) headed in a pass from Troy Martins (Attleboto, Mass.).
However, despite constant pressure from UMass Dartmouth, Enos prevented the Corsairs from scoring the equalizer as Salem State held on for a 2-1 victory.
Enos made four saves in the win, including his second penalty stop of the season. Carranza finished with three saves for UMass Dartmouth while Andrade contributed two. UMass held a slight 12-10 advantage in shots.
Salem State travels to MCLA on Saturday for a 1:00 PM start. UMass Dartmouth hosts Western Connecticut at 4:00 PM also on Saturday.
