Fitchburg State Shuts Down Lesley, 1-0

Falcons extend shutout streak to 775 minutes with key non-conference win

FITCHBURG, Mass. (October 9, 2013) – The Fitchburg State men's soccer team extended its shutout streak to 775 minutes, posting a 1-0 non-conference triumph over the Lynx of Lesley University this evening at Elliot Field.

With the victory, Fitchburg State improves to 5-4-3 (1-0-2 MASCAC) while Lesley drops to 6-4-2 on the year (1-0-1 NECC).

The Falcons clinch their fifth victory of the season behind junior goalkeeper Aidan Hanratty (E. Bridgewater, Mass.) who notched his sixth shutout of the season. Hanratty, who leads all of Division III with a.943 save percentage, totaled nine saves in the contest and defended three Lesley corner kicks in his complete game effort.

Fitchburg State scored the lone goal of the contest midway through the first period as freshman Maura Gimenez (Fitchburg, Mass.) connected for his team-leading fifth goal of the season. The rookie forward took a Brett Smith (N. Andover, Mass.) pass

Despite being on the other end of the score, Lesley did hold a 16-6 advantage in targets and 3-2 margin in corner kicks. Lynx goalkeeper Chase Donley (Elizabethtown, Pa.) was also strong between the pipes, posting two stops in his 90 minutes of work.

Fitchburg State will be back in action on Saturday as it hosts Bridgewater State University at 10 a.m. Lesley will visit Daniel Webster College on Saturday at 4 p.m.