ASL: W. Mass Finishes Season Unbeaten

Photo credit: David Henry/sweetdogphotos.com

A pair of Will Daniels goals in Saturday’s finale against Mass United FC ensured an unblemished season for Western Mass Pro Soccer Club following a 2-2 draw at Salem State University in Salem, Mass.

Daniels scored in the 29th and 56th minutes to give the guests a two-goal lead that the hosts quickly chopped down with strikes from Carlos Diniz and Jared Joaquin in the 64th and 69th minutes, respectively.

The draw allowed the Lusitanos to finish the Fall 2014 season at 6-0-4 (22 points), tops in the ASL. The Riders finished the campaign unable to reach the win column after going 0-3-6 (6 points).

Saturday’s contest was a rematch of the season opener between the Commonwealth clubs, which also ended in a draw. But this time around, it appeared that Western Mass would walk away with a win thanks to Daniels’ performance.

The Lusitano striker opened the scoring just before the half-hour when he slotted through a pass from Luke Perry, beating goalkeeper Malcolm Cheney.

Daniels added another near the hour, giving the guests a two-goal lead amid the rainy and windy conditions that swept through New England on Saturday.

Cold rainy night in Salem! Kickoff. Not many tweets tonight due to weather. pic.twitter.com/4tYZu7KkmM

— WM Pro Soccer (@wmprosoccer) November 1, 2014

But the Riders wouldn’t let Daniels – or the weather – stop them from trying to get back in the game.

Diniz answered eight minutes after Daniels’ second goal, while Joaquin canceled out the guests’ advantage in with just over 20 minutes remaining.

Western Mass made a trio of late substitutions in the hopes of reclaiming the lead, but the go-ahead never arrived as the season finale ended on level terms.

The start date for the Spring 2015 campaign has not yet been announced.