Fitchburg State Clipped By Nichols, 1-0

Foster collects six saves for Falcons in non-conference setback

Dudley, Mass – The Fitchburg State women's soccer team dropped a tough, 1-0 decision to the Bison of Nichols College in non-conference action this afternoon at Vendetti Field.

In the first half of play, Fitchburg State nearly opened the scoring just four minutes into the frame as freshman forward Shalee Callahan and junior midfielder Whitney Mansfield fired a pair of shots on goal, but Bison keeper Brooke Downey turned aside both shots to keep the 0-0 stalemate intact.

Nichols best scoring opportunity of the half came midway through the stanza when junior midfielder Nicole Gidley headed a ball towards frame off a corner kick that Fitchburg State goaltender Alexandra Foster deflected away from goal to send the game into halftime at 0-0.

Following the break, the Bison broke the 0-0 deadlock at the 81:02 mark as junior forward Danielle Barry collected a feed from classmate Taylor Souza and one-timed a shot into the back of the net for her first score of the season to make the score 1-0.

With time winding down, the Green and Gold threatened with 15 seconds remaining in regulation when sophomore defender Keely Moore blasted a shot near post that Downey was able to corral, resulting in the 1-0 final.

Throughout the contest, Nichols finished with a 15-12 advantage in shots, while also holding an 8-4 margin in corner kicks. In goal, Foster turned away six shots for the Falcons in the complete game effort, while Downey made six saves for the Bison, en-route to her first clean sheet on the season.

Fitchburg State (3-8-0, 1-1-0 MASCAC) returns to action on Saturday as it hosts the Buccaneers of Mass. Maritime Academy for a contest starting at 12 p.m. Nichols (1-8-1, 0-4-0 CCC) will visit Pine Manor on Thursday for a 3 p.m. start time.

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