Fitchburg State Bests Men's Soccer In Overtime, 1-0

Worcester, MA --- Fitchburg State senior Simon Vikoler (Chiusa, Italy) netted the game-winning goal at the 5:03 mark of the first overtime as the Falcons defeated Worcester State, 1-0, in MASCAC men's soccer action this afternoon at John Coughlin Field in the regular season finale for both sides.

With the win, Fitchburg State improves to 8-10 on the campaign and 4-3 in conference play. Meanwhile the Lancers end their season at 5-10-2 and 2-4-1 in the MASCAC.

Scoring chances were few and far between as the Falcons held a narrow 7-4 advantage in shots on goal.

Fitchburg State nearly finished the game in regulation as they put together a pair of late second half scoring opportunities in a 45 second span.

In the 85th minute, sophomore Steven Martinez (Middlesex, NJ) took a pass and fired a strike that narrowly missed the left post.

Shortly after, Fitchburg State continued their attack and that led to junior Gabriel Moya (Everett, MA) sizing up a shot from the top of the box that was turned away by a diving stop from senior goalkeeper Emil Dedo (Korca, Albania/Doherty) to keep the game scoreless heading into overtime.

The Blue and Gold's best chance came in the 80th minute when senior Derek Alves (Ludlow, MA) slipped a pass to sophomore Zachary Sindoni (Haverhill, MA) in stride to the left of the net. However, his bid to put the Lancers ahead late was turned down by Falcons senior goalie Aidan Hanratty (E. Bridgewater, MA).

Fitchburg State carried their momentum from the end of regulation into overtime as they controlled the possession battle throughout the final stanza which resulted in the eventual game winner.

Following a corner kick, freshman Zachary Young (Capo Beach, CA) floated a cross from the right side toward the box and found Vikoler who jumped above the defenders to head the ball over Dedo and inside the top left corner to give Fitchburg State the road victory.

Dedo was strong between the pipes, stopping six shots in the losing effort. Hanratty needed four stops for the shutout victory.

The Falcons held an 18-9 advantage in shots while both sides were even in corner kicks at five apiece.

Fitchburg State has earned the third seed in the conference Tournament and will host sixth-seeded Westfield State on Tuesday in a 7 PM matchup.

Story By Sports Information Intern --- Michael Corso '12