MASCAC SEMIFINALS: Men's Soccer Downed by Bridgewater

THE BASICS 
No. 4 Salem State, 1 at No. 1 Bridgewater, 4

Records: 
Bridgewater State University Bears (12-5-1)
Salem State University Vikings (9-4-6)

Location: Bridgewater, Mass. - Mazzaferro Field

Date: Friday, November 7, 2025

THE LEAD— The No. 4 seed Salem State men's soccer team saw its postseason run come to an end when the squad fell to No. 1 seed Bridgewater State, 4-1, Friday evening at Mazzaferro Field.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Throughout a back-and-forth early first half, neither side seemed to be able to generate momentum. However, at 27:05, Bridgewater struck first courtesy of Filippo Mucci. After Mucci had his initial header denied, he corralled the loose ball and put it past Salem goalie Marcelo Silva (Marlborough, Mass.). Nearly two minutes later (29:17), the Bears tacked on a second goal from Ryan Healy, which made it 2-0.
• Coming out of the half, the Salem offense played aggressively, and at 67:05, the squad finally got on the board, cutting the deficit to one (2-1). Jonathan Diaz (Methuen, Mass.) was pushing the ball upfield on the right side and found an open Landon Picillo (Warrick, R.I.) at the 10-yard marker. From there, he tapped it over to an open Iago De Sousa-Vieira (Medford, Mass.) , who was coming down the middle and one-time a quick shot past the Bears' goalie.
• Despite the Vikings grabbing momentum, the Bears took it right back and scored a minute later at 66:05 when Cameron Walty put in a shot off a cross by Ryan Healy. Bridgewater continued to apply pressure on the offensive end and added a fourth goal at 73:38 from Ansley Glemaud, and the hosts would ultimately hold on for the 4-1 win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• De Sousa-Vieira ends the season on a seven-game scoring streak with tonight's goal. Overall, he finished the year with 17 scores, which is tied for the seventh-best mark in a single season in program history. 
• Diaz and Picillo's assists are their third and fourth of the season, respectively. 
• Silva finished the contest with a career-high 11 saves on the night. The 11 stops are tied for seventh for most saves in a game in program history.
• Kyle Sullivan made six saves for Bridgewater on Friday.
• The Bears held the advantage in shots, 23-9, along with corner kicks as well, 8-3. However, Salem ended up taking more than Bridgewater in the second half, 3-2.
• Before tonight's loss, Salem had won the last two playoff meetings between the two programs. 
• Salem's nine wins on the year are the most since 2023, when the Blue and Orange were 12-4-4.

Photo Credit: Lilly Nunez'25