Fitchburg State Tops Gordon, 4-1 In Season Opener

Mascary leads Falcons to victory with three points in contest

WENHAM, Mass. (September 1, 2009) - The Fitchburg State men's soccer team opened its 2009 campaign in convincing fashion, defeating Gordon College, 4-1 in non-conference action this evening. 

Fitchburg State sophomore Kevin Mascary (North Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) led all scorers, posting three points on one goal and one assist, while classmate Brian Mountain (Southwick, Mass./Southwick-Tolland), sophomore Danny Bolam (Fletcher, Vt./BFA Airfax) and junior Lionso Ventura (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont) each added one score apiece.

Fitchburg State started the scoring early in the contest as Mascary converted a penalty kick in the 12th minute of the match after Gordon was given a red card for a handball within the penalty box. Bolam built on the early lead in the 20th minute as the sophomore midfielder broke through the right wing and blasted a shot past Gordon's keeper, Zach Frey. 

Gordon attempted to rally back, outshooting Fitchburg State, 7-3 in the first half, but a misplayed free ball in front of the net allowed Ventura to score, putting the Falcons on top 3-0 at the break.

In the second half, the score remained the same for much frame until Gordon's Matt Horth put the Fighting Scots on the board with a successful penalty kick following a foul inside the box. The momentum was short-lived however as Mountain closed the scoring with just two minutes to play on an assist from Mascary.

Fitchburg State made the most of its opportunities, converting .571 of its shots on goal (4-of-7). The Falcons held a slim 3-2 advantage in corner kicks, while senior goalkeeper Matt Carey (Bunnell, Conn./Stratford) registered three saves in the season-opening victory.

Fitchburg State (1-0, 0-0 MASCAC) will be back in action this weekend as it travels to Roger Williams University for the Roger Williams Classic starting on Saturday afternoon. Gordon (0-1, 0-0 TCCC) will travel to Messiah College on Friday at 5 p.m.

CLICK HERE FOR BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

Fitchburg State 4, Gordon 1

Scoring:
First Half: FIT: Kevin Mascary, 11:04; FIT: Danny Bolam, 19:28, FIT: Lionso Ventura, 41:00
Second Half: GOR: Matt Horth, 79:03; FIT: Brian Mountain (Mascary), 88:00;
Goaltending: Matt Carey (90:00), three saves; GOR: Zach Frey (90:00), three saves
Shots: FIT: 11; GOR: 15