Men’s Soccer Eliminated from MASCAC Tournament with 1-0 Loss to Fitchburg State
Framingham, Mass. – The third seed Framingham State University men's soccer team was defeated this afternoon 1-0 by the sixth seed Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) tournament quarterfinal action at Maple Street Field.
With the win, Fitchburg State improves to 6-11-1 on the year and advances to the MASCAC Tournament Semifinals on Friday night where they will face second seed Massachusetts Maritime Academy at 7 p.m. in Buzzards Bay. With the loss, the Rams see their season come to a close at 8-11.
The Falcons secured the early lead with a goal in the 7th minute that would ultimately prove to be the game winner. Freshman Matthew Krikorian (Groton, Mass.) sent a cross into the box that ended up behind the Rams keeper and junior Ibrahima Male (Pawtucket, R.I.) placed a shot in to the empty net for the 1-0 advantage.
The Rams had a chance at the equalizer three minutes later. Sophomore Simon Appiah (Worcester, Mass.) sent a low shot past the Falcon keeper, but a Falcon defender was able to clear the ball away before it crossed the goal line.
The Rams offense came alive to start the second half as they had multiple chances in the opening minutes of the frame. Sophomore Ken Stahovish (Springfield, Mass.) was alone behind the Falcon defense in the 48th minute and his shot sailed wide, three minutes later his bid hit the cross bar.
Framingham State had several final chances down the stretch including a shot from freshman Mitchell Thackaberry (Douglas, Mass.) that sailed just high with just over 15 minutes remaining on the clock.
The Rams outshot the Falcons 19-13 and held a 7-3 edge in corner kicks. Junior Alex Al-Zaibak (Hingham, Mass.) recorded the victory in net for the Falcons while making six saves. Junior Josh Arno (Natick, Mass.) took the loss for the Rams despite making eight stops.