Parakilas Tallies Twice as Owls Celebrate Homecoming, Senior Day Win

WESTFIELD, Mass.  --   Westfield State's Nick Parakilas scored a pair of second half goals to lift Westfield State to a 2-1 win over Anna Maria as the Owls celebrated both Senior Day and Homecoming at Alumni Field on Saturday.

Westfield improves to 4-1-2 in the MASCAC and sits in third place, a half-game back of Bridgewater and Mass Maritime as the regular season finish is drawing near.   Westfield is 8-3-2 overall.  Anna Maria is now 3-10-2 overall and 2-3-2 in the MASCAC.

The Amcats took a 1-0 lead into the half after Kyle Brocker stuck a penalty kick in the lower left corner of the net in the 20th minute of play.

Westfield tied the match in the 54^th minute when Dominic Cirelli lofted a long serve into the penalty area from 30 yards out, and Parakilas leapt to head it off the cross bar and in for his 19^th goal of the season.

The crossbar proved critical in the match, as the on the Owls second goal, Charlie Anishchik volleyed a ball into the goalkeepers box from the right side, that Parakilas got a shot off of, that deflected off a defender and then the crossbar, before the ball came right back to him and he clipped another shot that at first looked to be saved, but AMC goalkeeper Ferderico Foganio was too deep in his cage and the ball crossed the goal line for a 2-0 Owls lead.

The goal was Parakilas' 20^th of the season, good for the eighth best single season total in school history, tied with Jack Vilaca's 20 in 1971.   Parakilas is second in the nation in Division 3 in goals scored this season.

Anna Maria's Ariel Garcia fired a shot off the cross bar from the left side just minutes after Parakilas' marker, and then Westfield's made a good save on Garcia in the 75^th minute to help preserve the win.

Kononenko finished with eight saves for Westfield, including several spectacular ones, while Foganio made nine saves for AMC.

Westfield State recognized it's 12 seniors and their families in pre-match ceremonies.