Falcons Downed by Corsairs

Fitchburg, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University football team fell to the Corsairs of UMass Dartmouth 49-0 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action on Saturday afternoon at Elliot Field.

In a pre-game ceremony, the football team honored five seniors for their contributions to the Falcons' football team. Those honored: Frank Sims IV (Revere, Mass.), Luke Noyes (West Bridgewater, Mass.), Linnea D'Acchille (Valley Falls, NY), Ivanildo DaMoura (Boston, Mass.), and Marvin Jean Baptiste (Billerica, Mass.).

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 0, UMass Dartmouth 49
Records: Fitchburg State (1-7, 0-6 MASCAC) |UMass Dartmouth (7-1, 6-0 MASCAC)

How It Happened

The Corsairs opened the scoring on their first possession of the game with an efficient 1:06 drive covering 6 plays for 56 yards capped by a 3-yard score from running back Luis Gonzalez (Greenacres, Fla.).  The Falcons' Jayelinn Miller (Tacoma, WA) forced a fumble on the visitors next possession giving the Green and Gold field position at the UMD 44-yard line. Two plays later, the Falcons were intercepted by Antonio Stakely (Worcester, Mass.).

Gonzalez doubled UMass Dartmouth's lead with a 1-yard run at the 6:50 mark of the first quarter. UMD closed out the frame with a two-yard scamper by Jalyn Aponte (Boston, Mass.) to extend the lead (21-0). Aponte added a receiving touchdown in the second quarter with a 2-yard catch from quarterback Matt Gacioch (Tiverton, RI). Gacioch connected with sophomore Angel Sanchez (Providence, RI) to give the Corsairs a 35-0 advantage at halftime.

Aponte notched his third touchdown of the game in the second half, along with a Jacob Gibbons (Rumford, RI) 1-yard score resulting in the 49-0 final score.

Inside the Numbers

• Matthew Aguirre (Laredo, TX) led the Falcons' defense with 9 total tackles (4 solo, 5 assists) and a sack, Robert Williams (Lynn, Mass.) chipped in with 9 tackles (5 solo, 4 assists).
• The Corsairs held the advantage in total yards (532-23)
• Dante Aviles-Santos (Cumberland, RI) was 7-for-14 for 141 yards for the Corsairs, while Aponte notched 117 yards on 6 carries and three scores.
• The Corsairs' defense was led by Winston DeLeon with 4 tackles (2 solo, 2 assists).

Up Next

Fitchburg State will return to action on November 5^th when they travel to Western Connecticut State University for a 12:00 PM kickoff.