Worcester State Defeats Men's Soccer

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College men's soccer team was dealt a 6-0 defeat at the hands of visiting Worcester State in a non-conference contest at Leary Field Wednesday night. The Blazers dip to 0-6 on the season, while the Lancers improve to 3-2 overall.

The Lancers capitalized on an early Blazers miscue to capture a 1-0 lead. After a foul on Elms awarded a free kick to Worcester State, on the ensuing kick into the box, a Lancer player dove out of the way of the kick, which hit off a Blazer defender's hand, resulting in a penalty kick for the Lancers. Worcester State junior Jacob Jess (Douglas, Mass.) beat Elms freshman goalkeeper Tyler Graves (Monson, Mass.) to the left side, staking the Lancers to a 1-0 lead.

Worcester State made it 2-0 in the 17^th minute as junior Andre Ipojuca (Saugus, Mass.) launched a cross towards the front of the net, which deflected of a Blazer defender and past Graves. With 16:35 remaining in the half, WSU senior George Siotis (Oxford, Mass.) raced down the sideline and played a cross to the front of the net, where sophomore Bryan Brasil (Williamsburg, Mass.) headed home the service to hand the Lancers a 3-0 lead heading into halftime.

In the 67^th minute, the Lancers made it a 4-0 game as Jess played a through ball past the Blazers defense to junior Etjon Rapi (Worcester, Mass.), who found the back of the net to pad the Worcester State advantage. The Lancers final strike came as Brasil delivered a put-back goal in the 85^th minute, followed by a finish from sophomore Cashios Okyere (Worcester, Mass.) in the final seconds to send Worcester State to the 6-0 win.

The Lancers outshot the Blazers, 21-13, during the contest. Graves made a career-high six saves in his first career start in between the pipes for Elms, while Worcester State freshman Henri Guilmette (Franklin, Mass.) stopped three shots in the win.

The Blazers will look to move into the win column when they open up New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) play against Mitchell College at Leary Field Saturday at 5:00 p.m. Worcester State hosts Framingham State in Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action Saturday at Noon.

ELMS SOCCER