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Worcester State Holds Off Fitchburg State, 2-0

Worcester State Holds Off Fitchburg State, 2-0

Lancers claim regular season crown behind a six save effort from Zucco

FITCHBURG, Mass. (November 2, 2013) – The Fitchburg State men's soccer team registered a game-best 18 shots this afternoon but fell to the visiting Lancers of Worcester State University, 2-0 in a pivotal MASCAC showdown at Elliot Field.

With the victory, Worcester State clinches the MASCAC regular season championship with an overall record of 10-3-4 and a 6-0-1 mark in the conference. The Lancers earn the top seeded in the 2013 MASCAC tournament, while also earning a first round bye. Fitchburg State fall to 6-7-5 on the year (1-2-4 MASCAC) and awaits its berth into the playoffs pending the decisions of today's other MASCAC contests.

Worcester State got on the board first just over the midway point of the first half as sophomore Alex Goncalves (Ludlow, Mass.) netted his second goal of the season. Goncalves flew up the near sideline and received a pass from senior Alex Wolfel (Unionville, Conn.) which he slipped past an outstretched Aidan Hanratty (E. Bridgewater, Mass.) for the first marker of the game.

In the second half, Worcester State doubled its lead (2-0) in the 80th minute of the match as senior Brendan Whitson (Auburn, Mass.) collected his team-leading 12th goal of the season off Wolfel's second helper of the contest.

Fitchburg State registered many scoring opportunities over the final stretch, including a pair of opportunities right on target from Mauro Gimenez (Fitchburg, Mass.) and Carmen Bordonaro (Saugus, Mass.). The Falcons also had a great chance denied in the first period as Zach Tracy () put a shot right on target but a team save from Tyler Stanton (Springfield, Mass.) kept the Falcons off the scoreboard.

For the game, Fitchburg State out-shot Worcester State, 18-15 including a 7-4 margin with shots on target. Both teams were even with seven corner kicks apiece. In net, sophomore Nick Zucco (Ludlow, Mass.) picked up the complete game shutout for the Lancers, totaling six saves over 90 minutes of work, while junior Aidan Hanratty (E. Bridgewater, Mass.) stopped four shots for the Falcons.

Pairings for the 2013 MASCAC Men's Soccer Tournament will be available later this evening by visiting http://www.mascac.com