Fitchburg State Men's Soccer Program Is On The Rise

Courtesy of Matt Stewart, Sentinel & Enterprise

FITCHBURG -- It's been a bit of a rebuilding process in recent years for the Fitchburg State University men's soccer team after head coach Werner Thissen took control of the program.

Now in year four in Thissen's tutelage, the Falcons' leader feels this is the season FSU will take its performance to the next level.

Fitchburg State departs Sunday for a week of preseason training in Lake George, N.Y., before beginning its season on Saturday at home against UMass Boston.

"We only have four seniors and four juniors, but we have a strong recruiting class coming in this year, just like last year," Thissen said. "We have nine freshmen, two transfers and six sophomores, so the base is built up right now. I'm very excited this year, because our squad looks stronger than ever."

The Falcons improved from a 3-13 mark in 2011 by going 5-11-2 last season. That record might be deceiving, as Fitchburg State performed competitively against some high-profile opponents, including notching a tie against Salve Regina, a ranked team that entered the contest at 9-1-1. Last year was the first time the Falcons made the MASCAC postseason tournament, and this year the Green and Gold are hoping to up their record and give Thissen his first winning season with the program.

"Our goals are set high," Thissen said. "This year the minimum goal is having a winning season. We obviously want to win the MASCAC. That's our ultimate goal. Last year was the first year of a progression of getting good results. We were unlucky in a few instances, but we tied Salve Regina and beat Salem State; we were the only MASCAC team to do that."

Fitchburg State was competitive in nearly all of its MASCAC games, but Thissen believes a lack of bodies hurt the Falcons late in games.

"The reason why we didn't have a winning season last year was because we didn't have the depth at each and every position," Thissen said. "This year we have that. The outcome should be different."

Goalkeeper Aidan Hanratty returns after accumulating a vast amount of experience over the last few years in net. Thissen feels he will be a key component leading the charge in big games, while freshmen Rondinelle DePaula (Leominster High) and Colin Jepson compete at the same level and will filter in.

"(Hanratty) was thrown into the fire his freshman year and last year, too, because we didn't have depth in goal," Thissen said. "We fixed that problem, we have two very strong freshmen goalkeepers. They are all equally good."

There are a handful of key returners on the defensive side including seniors Colin Shea and Ken Kelly. Another key senior, Carmen Bordonaro, will play a pivotal role in the offensive side of the team.

"One of the things we focused on last year was defense, because we had to stop conceding goals," Thissen said. "We were on the right trend with that, conceding 17 less goals than the year before. We lost a lot of games 1-0 or 2-1. This season we are focusing on offense, and we have weapons throughout the whole offensive unit."

Steve Luna is multiple-zone threat who Thissen feels embodies the mentality the team is trying to portray. Tom Sorrentino, a sophomore midfielder, could be Fitchburg State's breakout player, according Thissen.

"Our offense will depend on (Sorrentino) making those connections up there," Thissen said. "But I am very confident with what I've seen so far this year from him."

Thissen said incoming freshman Mauro Gimenez, a Fitchburg native from North Central Charter, will likely be a serious threat at forward.