Fitchburg State Shuts Down Salem State, 3-0
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Salem St. (2-11-1, 2-4-0 MASCAC) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Fitchburg St. (7_9_0, 3_3_0 MASCAC) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Tracy nets first collegiate tally in Falcons MASCAC victory
FITCHBURG, Mass. (October 25, 2014) – The Fitchburg State men's soccer team was in action this afternoon, defeating the Vikings of Salem State University, 3-0 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action at Elliot Field.
In the opening period, Fitchburg State nearly took the lead in the first minute of play as senior forward Simon Vikoler lofted a shot towards goal but Vikings midfielder Mike Connors was able to clear the ball off the goal line.
The Vikings best scoring opportunity of the stanza occurred at the 32:53 mark when sophomore Kevin Gallo was awarded a penalty kick but Fitchburg State goaltender Aidan Hanratty made a sprawling save to his left to preserve the 0-0 stalemate going into the half.
Following intermission, the Falcons grabbed the lead six minutes into the frame as junior Zachary Tracy headed a corner kick off the foot of newcomer Zachary Young into the back of net for his first collegiate tally to make the score 1-0.
The Green and Gold doubled their margin (2-0) at the 59:10 mark when sophomore forward Jared Burns collected his third marker on the season , using an assist from Vikoler.
The hosts secured the victory with just over 32 minutes remaining in regulation as Vikoler fired a shot inside the far post for his team-leading sixth marker of the year after being awarded a penalty kick, resulting in the 3-0 final.
For the game, Fitchburg State held a 22-16 advantage in shots, while also holding a narrow 8-5 margin in corner kicks. In net, Hanratty finished with seven saves for the Falcons en-route to his sixth shut of the season, while counterpart Nondas Kargakis stopped eight shots for Salem State in the complete game effort.
Fitchburg State (7-9-0, 3-3-0 MASCAC) returns to action on Tuesday as it hosts the Pride of Springfield College at 7 p.m. Salem State (2-11-1, 2-4-0 MASCAC) will host the University of Southern Maine on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
