Men’s Soccer Season Comes to a Close

(Worcester, MA) – Men's soccer played their season finale on the road Tuesday, falling 5-1 to Quinsigamond CC. The Cougars were handed a free win on Saturday when a regional opponent that Holyoke would have likely beaten had to forfeit. The Cougars would have preferred to play the game, but unfortunately their opponent was unable to field a team that day, a problem that occasionally arises in NJCAA athletics.

In Tuesday's season-ender, sophomore Vadim Savitskiy (West Springfield, MA / West Springfield HS) created a memorable moment, scoring Holyoke's lone tally. The goal was the first of Savitskiy's college career, sweetly coming in his final game as a Cougar. Five sophomores appeared in the HCC uniform for the final time as Lucas Castro (Chicopee, MA / Chicopee Comprehensive HS), Elias Chico (Springfield, MA / West Springfield HS), Mahamat Nour Moussa (Springfield, MA / Suddan HS) and Joseph Gonzalez (Springfield, MA / Westfield HS) joined Savitskiy in doing so. Moussa was an All-New England (All-Region) selection during his freshman season and Castro has been the team's anchor on defense for the past two years. Freshman Elijah Picard (Westhampton, MA / Hampshire Regional HS) finishes the season as the Cougars' leader in goals with eight and points with 18.

Men's soccer closes their campaign with an overall record of 5-8 and a regional record of 2-6. They registered two shutouts this season and had a ten-goal game. Holyoke defeated Massasoit CC 2-0 on October 14^th, a big win over the traditionally strong opponent. Thirteen freshmen from this year's squad can return to play in 2026. Let's go Cougars!

Photo: Savitskiy (#16) battles hard defensively during Holyoke's October 14^th win over Massasoit.