Bridgewater State Edges Fitchburg State, 1-0

Hanratty stop six shots in Falcons MASCAC opening loss

FITCHBURG, Mass. (September 15, 2012) – The Fitchburg State men's soccer team opened its 2012 MASCAC slate this evening, falling to Bridgewater State University, 1-0 at Elliot Field.

Both teams played seemingly even throughout the 90 minute contest with Bridgewater State holding a slim 12-10 advantage in shots. The lone goal of the contest occurred early in the match as Bears forward Braima Samati (Boston, Mass./Brighton) found a loose ball in front of Fitchburg State sophomore Aidan Hanratty (E. Bridgewater, Mass./E. Bridgewater) and slipped it past the Falcon keeper for a 1-0 advantage. Junior Craig Shadduck (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) assisted on the play, registering his third point of the season.

In the second half, neither team was able to muster more offense as 11 combined shots was all the goalkeepers witnessed. The Bears saw seven opportunities on the offensive end, including six on net, while the Falcons were limited to just four attempts throughout the half with three going on target.

Between the pipes, Hanratty turned in a complete game effort Fitchburg State, turning away six-of-seven Bridgewater State shots, while junior Matt Bagley (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) stopped three shots for the shutout victory.

Fitchburg State (1-4-1, 0-1-0 MASCAC) returns to action on Wednesday as it hosts WPI at 7 p.m. Bridgewater State (1-4-0, 1-0-0 MASCAC) will host Rhode Island College on Tuesday at 7 p.m.