Smith Doubles Up Fitchburg State, 2-0

Ford registers six saves in the Falcons non-conference setback

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (October 23, 2012) – The Fitchburg State women's soccer team dropped a 2-0 decision to Smith College in non-conference action this afternoon.

With the win, Smith improves to 7-8 overall and 3-5 in the NEWMAC, while Fitchburg State falls to 3-13 on the year and 1-5 in the MASCAC.

In the opening frame, Smith nearly opened the scoring in the 29th minute of play as freshmen Allie Rooney (Ludlow, Mass./Cathedral) and Jordan Houston (Providence, Utah/Logan) both saw break away attempts turned away by Falcon goalkeeper Kelsey Ford(Franconia, N.H./Profile School). Before finally breaking the 0-0 deadlock at the 36:38 mark, when the ball found its way into the net off an own goal to put the Pioneers up 1-0 heading into halftime.

Following the break, the Pioneers doubled their lead (2-0) with just under 18 minutes remaining in the contest as sophomore Aidan Hitt (Arlington, Va./Yorktown) converted a penalty kick for first her first collegiate marker. Fitchburg State threated down the stretch as sophomore Kayla Bridges (Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro) blasted a shot on target but Pioneer goalie Cody Norris was able to turn the shot aside to preserve the shutout.

Throughout the match, Smith out shot Fitchburg State 10-6, while limiting the Falcons to just two corners. Between the pipes, Ford collected six saves in 84 minutes of action for Fitchburg State, while Norris finished with three saves for the hosts.

Fitchburg State (3-13-0, 1-5-0 MASCAC) will be back in action on Saturday as it hosts Salem State University for a contest starting at 2 p.m. Smith College (7-8-0, 3-5-0 NEWMAC) will host MIT on Saturday at 2 p.m.