Fitchburg State Withstands MCLA, 2-1

Callahan and Foster net first collegiate tallies for Falcons in key MASCAC victory

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The Fitchburg State women's soccer team defeated the Trailblazers of MCLA, 2-1 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this afternoon a Shewcraft Field.

In the first half of play, Fitchburg State took the lead 12:52 into the frame as freshman forward Shalee Callahan found the back of the net for her first collegiate tally of an assist from senior forward Victoria Floeck for the 1-0 lead.

The Falcons doubled their margin (2-0) in the 18th minutes of action when freshman defender Gabriella Foster buried a shot inside the near post for her first collegiate tally before the Trailblazers answered back 13 seconds later as senior forward Natalie Caney converted a penalty kick, blasting a shot into the lower left corner for her third goal on the season to make the score 2-1 going into the break.

Following the intermission, the Green and Gold nearly upped its advantage at the 57:59 mark when senior forward Nicole Hallett and Callahan put back-to-back shots on frame, only to be denied by MCLA keeper Megan Richardson.

The second half also witnessed some strong defensive play as senior Samantha Zina, Foster and freshman Micalea Goldenberg anchored a Falcon defense that didn't allow a shot on target through the final 45 minutes of play.

Throughout the match, Fitchburg State held a narrow 10-9 advantage in shots, while MCLA finished with a slim 2-1 margin in corner kicks. In between the pipes, freshman Alexandra Foster made two saves for the Falcons in the complete game effort, while Richardson stopped four second half shots for the Trailblazers in 45 minutes of work.

Fitchburg State (6-10-0, 3-3-0 MASCAC) returns to action on Wednesday as it hosts the Anchorwomen of Rhode Island College for a contest starting at 7 p.m. MCLA (3-8-4, 1-4-1 MASCAC) will travel to Framingham State next Saturday at 12 p.m.