Falcons Blank Blazers, 3-0 in Season Opener

DePina nets two goals for Falcons in non-conference victory 

Chicopee, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University men's soccer team defeated the Blazers of Elms College, 3-0 in non-conference action this evening at Leary Field in its 2018 season opener.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 3, Elms 0

Records: Fitchburg State (1-0-0) | Elms (0-1-0)

How It Happened

Fitchburg State took a 1-0 advantage in the 32nd minute of play as sophomore forward Yannick DePina (Boston, Mass.) gathered a feed from senior Stephen Nagle (Lancaster, Mass.) and connected on his first goal of the season.

In the second half, the Green and Gold doubled their margin (2-0) at the 54:56 mark when freshman Jeremiah Maki (Westminster, Mass.) found the back of the net for the his first collegiate score before the visitors secured the win in the 76th minute of action as DePina netted his second goal of the contest on an assist by sophomore Shane Grenier (Gardner, Mass.), resulting in the 3-0 final.

Inside the Numbers

This evening's contest marks the ninth meeting between the two schools on the pitch with the Falcons 8-1-0 all-time when taking on the Blazers.

Fitchburg State has won the last seven matchups with Elms, including a a 3-1 victory on Sept. 2, 2017 at Elliot Field last season as Former Falcon Jefferson Acha netted his first collegiate score.

DePina led all scorers with four points on two goals.

Elms College held a slim 10-9 margin in shots, while Fitchburg State finished with a narrow 7-6 advantage in corner kicks.

Sophomore Branton Abbett (Jasper, Ind.) stopped three shots for the Falcons in the complete game effort to earn the shutout, while counterpart AJ Oliveira (Beacon Falls, Ore.) made three saves for the Blazers in 90:00 minutes of work.

Up Next

Falcons will host the Fighting Scots of Gordon College on Wednesday for their 2018 home opener, starting at 6:30 PM. Blazers will host the Bison of Nichols College on the same day for a 4:00 pm start.