Fitchburg State and UMass Boston Battle To 1-1 Draw

Ventura and Carey shine in Falcon deadlock with Beacons

BOSTON, Mass. (September 16, 2009) - Junior Lionso Ventura (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont) netted Fitchburg State's lone goal as the Falcons battled to a 1-1 non-conference draw with UMass Boston this evening. 

Fitchburg State got on the board first with less than five minutes left in the first half when senior midfielder Jeffrey Loven (Littleton, Mass./Littleton) sent a thru ball to the left side and hooked up with Ventura. Ventura finished the scoring attack with a shot into the back of the net at the 40:28 mark to give Fitchburg State the early, 1-0 edge.

In the second half, Fitchburg State held UMass Boston silent until junior midfielder Alex Cavallero (Lenox, Mass./Lenox) scored with less than 12 minutes left in regulation to pull the Beacons at 1-1 deadlock. Freshman midfielder Reyn Johnson's (Mangilao, Guam) throw-in took some fortuitous bounces into the box and eluded the Falcons' defense before finding Cavallero for the equalizer at 78:32.

Both teams were unable to score in either 10-minute overtime period as the windy conditions kept play the middle of the field. UMass Boston held a 3-1 shot advantage in the first overtime, while Fitchburg State owned a 2-1 edge in the second extra frame.

The Beacons collected 27 shots on net, but Fitchburg State made the most of its opportunities, putting 8 of its 13 shots on target. Senior keeper Matt Carey (Stratford, Conn./Bunnell) turned away ten shots in his complete game effort for Fitchburg State, while freshman keeper Brycen Dowd (Mansfield, MA) made seven saves in his collegiate debut for the Beacons.

Fitchburg State  (1-3-1, 0-0-0 MASCAC) will be in action again Saturday as it travels to Worcester State College at 11 a.m. UMass Boston (1-2-1, 0-0-0 LEC) will also be in action Saturday as it hosts the  University of Southern Maine at 1 p.m.

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Fitchburg State 1, UMass Boston 1 (2OT)

Scoring:
First Half: FIT: Lionso Ventura (Jeffrey Loven), 40:28;  
Second Half: UMB: Alex Cavallero (Reyn Johnson), 78:32;
Goaltending: Matt Carey (110:00), ten saves; UMB: Brycen Dowd (110:00), seven saves;
Shots: FIT: 13; UMB: 27