WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State University first-year student Jake Silvestre (Seekonk, Mass.) netted the game winning goal and classmate Nick Brown (Southwick, Mass./Southwick-Tolland HS) provided a pair of assists to rally the Owls men's soccer team to a 2-1 win over Fisher College in the season opener for both teams at Alumni Field on Thursday night.
Westfield was playing its first game in 666 days, as the Covid-19 pandemic wiped out the full 2020 season.
The Owls played a back-and-forth first half with the Falcons, with Fisher getting on the scoreboard first in the 31st minute with a nice passing sequence that led to a Joel Bailey (Derrider, La. / Leesville) goal. Juan Pablo Villalobos (El Paso, Tex.) started the play with a pass from the top of the penalty area to the left side, where Pedro Ruiz (Santa Barbara, Calif.) attacked the net, then sent a low cross to Bailey about six yards out, who one timed the shot to the top of the net.
Westfield tightened up defensively in the second half, leveling the game at 1-1 when Brown fed Cassidy for the Owls first goals of the game in the 52nd minute of play.
Six minutes later, Westfield took the lead for good, with Jack Kelly playinga short corner kick to Brown, who beat a passel of defenders and fired a cross to Silvestre at the back post for the goal and the lead.
The Owls got three saves from senior goalkeeper Griffin Brown (Southborough, Mass./Algonquin) while the Falcons' Rafael Fabra (Sao Paolo, Brazil) made eight saves. Total shots were almost even with Westfield holding an 18-17 margin. Both teams had three corner kicks.
Westfield (1-0) will be back in action on Saturday with a non-conference game at Suffolk University.
Fisher (0-1) travels to NVU-Lyndon on Saturday.
Notes; Westfield had an apparent goal called back in the second half when Silvestre sent a cross to the back post on a counter attack, but the linesman deemed the ball went over the end line before hooking back into play for an Owls' header.
Fisher is coached by Westfield State alumnus Kyle Yellin '12, who was a standout midfielder as a four-year player for the Owls.