Fitchburg State Falls Victim To Framingham State, 3-1

Sullivan nets lone Falcons goal in tough MASCAC setback

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (October 13, 2012) – The Fitchburg State men's soccer team fell victim to a pair of penalty kicks this afternoon as the Falcons fell to the Rams of Framingham State, 3-1 in MASCAC action at Maple Street Field.   

With the win, the Rams improve to 6-5-2 on the season and 4-1 in the conference, while the Falcons fall to 4-8-2 overall and 1-4 in the MASCAC.

Framingham State applied its offensive pressure right from the start of the game.  Just over five minutes into the contest, the Rams received their their first quality scoring chance as sophomore Nick Cotter (Sandwich, Mass.) sent a cross to senior Jepherson Cardoso (Framingham, Mass.). Cardoso's bid sailed high and just wide, but less than a minute later, senior Will Menter's (Haverhill, Mass.) header off a corner kick was just wide of the net as well.

Fitchburg State also saw a pair of scoring chances late in the first half, but Rams goalkeeper Sam Yoder (Southbridge, Mass.) came up with a pair of saves to keep the game at bay.  Senior George Sullivan (Milton, Mass.) fired a shot from 20 yards out that Yoder made a save on, while sophomore James David's (Haverhill, Mass.) direct kick from 25 yards out was also turned away.

The Rams finally broke open the scoreless deadlock late in the half on a penalty kick from sophomore Bryan DaSilva (Milford, Mass.) after classmate Henrique DaSilva (Framingham, Mass.) was taken down in the box.

The Rams added a pair of goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half to extend the lead to 3-0.  Later in the period, the Falcons got on the board, cutting the Rams lead to 3-1.  David started the Fitchburg State scoring play, sending a direct kick into the box and Sullivan one touched it into the top corner at the 66:12 mark.  The Falcons would not come any closer as the goal by Sullivan was their only shot in the second half.

The Rams outshot the Falcons 18-4 in the game including a 10-3 edge in the first half and also held a 10-3 advantage in corner kicks. Yoder made three saves and recorded the victory, while Aiden Hanratty (East Bridgewater, Mass.) made eight saves for the Falcons.

Fitchburg State returns to action on Thursday as it visits Daniel Webster College at 4 p.m. Framingham State will be in action on Tuesday evening with a non-conference game at Keene State at 6:30 p.m.