Men’s Soccer Opens Conference Play with 1-0 Win over Fitchburg State
Framingham, Mass. – The Framingham State University men's soccer team tallied the game's only marker late in the first half as the Rams defeated Fitchburg State University 1-0 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action at Maple Street Field.
With the win, the Rams improve to 3-3 on the year and are now 1-0 in the MASCAC, while the Falcons dip to 1-3-1 overall and are 0-1 in the conference.
The Rams struck first late in the opening stanza to tally the game's first goal. Senior Simon Appiah (Worcester, Mass.) sent a long cross into the box and classmate Kelvin Okyere (Auburn, Mass.) headed it home for the his third of the season in the 33rd minute.
Sophomore Ken Stahovish (Springfield, Mass.) had a pair of chances in the second half to extend the Rams lead, but could not convert. Just over five minutes into the second, Stahovish took a direct kick from 30 yards out and hit the post. With just over 20 minutes remaining in the game, Stahovish took a thru ball and was along behind the defense but his bid sailed high.
The Falcons best chance at the equalizer came with five minutes remaining when Nicholas Masley's (Oxford, Mass.) header in the box off a cross went just wide of the net.
The Rams outshot the Falcons 16-14 in the game. Senior Josh Arno (Natick, Mass.) earned the shutout victory in net making five saves, while Alex Al-Zaibak (Hingham, Mass.) took the loss despite making six stops.
The Rams are back in action on Wednesday afternoon when they host Rhode Island College at 4 p.m., while Falcons travel to Regis on Wednesday at 4 p.m.