Men’s Soccer Plays Salem State to 1-1 Draw

SALEM, Mass. – On a night in which both teams had opportunities to take the lead, Regis College and Salem State played to a 1-1 tie Wednesday in a non-conference men's collegiate soccer match at Alumni Field.

The Pride nearly jumped on the scoreboard three minutes into the match, but a shot by Federico Lavini-Ayalla (Weston, Fla.) hit the post. After some back-and-forth action, Regis took the lead when, after a Viking turnover, Nolan McMahon (White River Junction, Vt.) took a pass from Lavini-Ayalla and found the lower left corner of the net for his first goal of the season.

The Vikings nearly evened the score in the next minute of action, but a crossing pass from the left side of the field just missed an oncoming attacker at the right post. Regis continued to pepper the Viking net with on-target shots, but Salem State goalie Brady Whitmarsh made six saves in the final 23 minutes of the first half to keep the score at 1-0.

Salem State (1-0-1) increased its offensive pressure after halftime, forcing Regis goalie Chris Alcon (Weston, Fla.) to make three saves in the span of six minutes. On another Viking rush down the field in the 58^th minute, a crossing pass from the left side landed in the box, where Aaron O'Toole's shot hit the crossbar before Alex Ixlaj-Tello headed the rebound into the net for the game-tying goal.

Both teams created opportunities to pull ahead as the match entered the late stages, but Whitmarsh and Kyle Weidemann (Piscataway, N.J.) each made two saves to keep the score knotted as time ran out. In his first career collegiate action, Alcon made seven saves in over 68 minutes before Weidemann finished the match, while Whitmarsh ended up with eight total saves.

Regis College (0-1-1) begins conference play Saturday, Sept. 7, by hosting defending GNAC champion Johnson and Wales starting at 6 p.m.