Fitchburg State Blanks Bay Path, 1-0
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fitchburg St. (1-0-0) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
Bay Path (0-1-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
O'Connell nets lone goal in Falcons season opening victory
FITCHBURG, Mass. – Senior Ali Sheehan netted the lone goal of the contest eight minutes into the opening half as the Fitchburg State women's soccer team opened its 2016 campaign with a 1-0 victory over the Wildcats of Bay Path in non-conference action this afternoon at Ryan Field.
In the first half, Fitchburg State grabbed the lead at the 7:55 mark when Sheehan collected a rebound of a shot from freshman Gabriella Foster and buried a shot into the back of the net for her first goal on the season for the 1-0 margin.
Later in the half, the Falcons nearly doubled their advantage as senior Victoria Floeck and newcomer Shalee Callahan rifled a pair of shots on target, but Wildcat keeper Alma Rizvani turned away both shots to keep the deficit at one as Fitchburg State took a 1-0 lead into the locker room.
In the second stanza, Bay Path treated at the 46:22 mark when junior forward Kristen Lynch was awarded a penalty kick. Freshman goaltender Alexandra Foster was up to the task however, denying Lynch's shot with stellar save to her left.
The remainder of the contest was a defensive battle as neither team was able to convert on their scoring opportunities as both defenses stood pat, resulting in the 1-0 shutout victory for Fitchburg State.
Throughout the contest, Fitchburg State held a 17-5 advantage in shots as well as a 4-1 margin in corner kicks. In net, Foster stopped four shot the for the Falcons en-route to her first collegiate victory in 90 minutes of work, while Rizvani made nine saves for Bay Path in the complete game effort.
Fitchburg State (1-0-0, 0-0-0 MASCAC) returns to action on Tuesday as it travels to Becker College for a contest starting at 6:30 p.m. Bay Path (0-1-0, 0-0-0 NECC) will host the Beavers of CCNY on Sunday at 2 p.m.