Regis Holds Off Fitchburg State, 2-1

Male nets lone goal for Falcons in non-conference setback

WESTON, Mass. – The Fitchburg State men's soccer team dropped a tough 2-1 decision to the Pride of Regis College in non-conference action at Regis Stadium tWednesday afternoon.

In the first half, Regis took the lead just 3:35 into the frame as freshman Grayson Owens collected a feed from senior Zach Sindoni and fired a shot into the back of the net for his first collegiate tally for the 1-0 margin.

Fitchburg State knotted the score (1-1) midway through the stanza when junior midfielder Ibrahima Male buried a shot inside the near post for his second goal on the season off an assist from sophomore Marckdonard Bastien.

The Pride regained the lead with just over three minutes remaining in half as junior Jefferson Lorimer received a pass from classmate Devin Brady and deposited the ball into the right side of the net for his second score on the year to put the hosts up 2-1 going into the break.

Following the intermission, the Falcons nearly retied the game in the 76th minute of action when Bastien and Male put back-to-back shots on target, but Regis keeper Manny Santiago was able to turn away both scoring chances, resulting in the 2-1 final.

Throughout the game, Regis held a 14-8 advantage in shots, while also holding a 5-3 margin in corner kicks. In goal, junior Alex Al-Zaibak and sophomore Connor Smith combined to stop three shots for the Falcons, while Santiago made four saves in 90 minutes of work for the Pride.

Fitchburg State (1-4-1, 0-1-0 MASCAC) returns to action on Saturday as it hosts the Owls of Westfield State at 12 p.m. Regis (4-4-0, 0-0-0 NECC) will travel to Lesley on Sunday for a contest starting at 12 p.m.