Fitchburg, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University men's soccer team suffered a tough 2-1 setback to the Owls of Westfield State University in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this afternoon at Elliot Field.
Westfield State improves to 5-5-2, 3-1-2 MASCAC, while Fitchburg State is now 5-8-1, 2-4 MASCAC.
Fitchburg State grabbed the lead at the 39:09 mark as junior Marckdonard Bastien (Worcester, Mass./Worcester North) gathered a feed from classmate Prince Boateng (Worcester, Mass./Burncoat) and tucked the ball inside the far post for his third marker of the season for the 1-0 margin going into the break.
In the second half, Westfield State knotted the score (1-1) in the 77th minute of action when freshman Liam Kelley (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) received a pass from sophomore Ryan Morais (Uxbridge, Mass./Uxbridge) and proceeded to tuck the ball inside the far post for his second score on the year to force the overtime period.
In the first overtime period, the Owls threatened in the opening minutes as Kelley and freshman Sirha Kunphel (South Yarmouth, Mass./Nauset Regional) put shots on target, but Falcon keeper Branton Abbett (Jasper, Ind./Jasper) denied both scoring opportunities to keep the score at 1-1.
In the second overtime, Westfield State secured the victory at the 102:52 mark when senior Kieran Moriarty (West Springfield, Mass./West Springfield) converted a free kick from 15 yards out, blasting a shot into the upper left corner for his second goal of the season, resulting in the 2-1 final.
Westfield State has won the last four contests with Fitchburg State, including a 3-0 decision last season at Alumni Field.
Westfield State held a 17-6 margin in shots, while also finishing with a 14-6 advantage in corner kicks.
In goal, Abbett registered four saves for the Falcons in the setback, while sophomore Tyler Diotalevi (Ludlow, Mass./Ludlow) stopped two shots for the Owls in the victory.
Falcons will host the Rams of Suffolk University on Wednesday for a non-conference tilt, starting at 7:00 PM. Owls will travel to Albertus Magnus on Monday for a non-conference bout at 7:00 PM.