Men's Soccer Blanks Fitchburg, Earns Tourney Bid

Fitchburg, Mass. –   Westfield State men's soccer had four different goal scorers and got eight saves from Drew Adams as the Owls shut out Fitchburg State 4-0 on Saturday afternoon at Elliot Field.

Westfield improves to 3-8-4 overall and 2-3-1 in the MASCAC. The win assures the Owls a berth in the MASCAC postseason tournament.  Fitchburg State sin now 1-12-1, 0-5-1 MASCAC

Westfield State took a 1-0 edge at the 14:29 mark when junior Jack Johnson (Marlborough, Mass.) collected a feed from newcomer Bryant Keeney (Westfield, Mass.) and tucked the ball inside the far post for his first goal on the year.

Fitchburg State nearly knotted the score midway through the frame when freshman Liam Evans (Marshfield, Mass.) fired a shot that just sailed over the cross bar. The Owls doubled the lead (2-0) just before the half with senior Matthew Allen (Southwick, Mass.) notching his sixth goal of the 2022 campaign off a feed from class Nick Brown (Southwick, Mass.).

Following the intermission, Westfield State extended the lead to 3-0 in the 48:28 as freshman Jesse Njamnshi (Fitchburg, Mass.) converted a penalty kick, firing a shot into the left side of the net for his second marker of the season.

The Owls secured the victory in the 86th minute of action when newcomer Noah Rivera (Westfield, Mass.) settled a feed from classmate Carter Hebert (Easthampton, Mass.) and found the back of the net for his first tally of the season, resulting in the 4-0 final.

Westfield State finished with an 21-17 margin in shots, while also holding a slim 3-1 edge in corner kicks

Senior Collin Robson (North Billerica, Mass.) made 11 saves for the Falcons while junior Drew Adams (North Attleboro, Mass.) stopped eight shots for the Owls

Fitchburg State seniors Collin Robson and Rizkhan Muhwezi were honored prior to the contest for their contributions to the program

Falcons return to action on Wednesday as they travel to Rhode Island College for a non-conference tilt, starting at 6:00 PM. Owls will host the Vikings of Salem State next Saturday for a conference bout at 12:00 PM.