Falcons Rebound Over Lancers, 30-14

Lawton rushes for first two collegiate scores for Fitchburg State in MASCAC victory 

Worcester, Mass.– The Fitchburg State University football team defeated the Lancers of Worcester State, 30-14 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this evening from Coughlin Field.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 30, Worcester State 14

Records: Fitchburg State (2-7, 1-6 MASCAC) | Worcester State (0-8, 0-6 MASCAC)

How It Happened

Fitchburg State opened the scoring 6:47 into the first quarter as sophomore tailback Steven Lawton (Ayer, Mass.) plunged in from a yard out to cap a 14-play, 64 yard drive for his first collegiate touchdown before junior kicker Linnea D'Acchille (Valley Falls, N.Y.) added the extra point for the 7-0 edge.

Worcester State cut the deficit to 7-6 midway through the second quarter when sophomore Amir Mells (Dorchester, Mass.) broke through the goal line from a yard out before the Falcons upped their margin with just 32 seconds in the half when Lawton found the end zone for his rushing TD on the evening to make the score 14-6 going into the break.

Following the intermission, Fitchburg State upped its advantage early in the fourth quarter with senior quarterback Connor Fitzsimons (Flushing, N.Y.) finding classmate Joshua Nelson (Providence, R.I.) with a six yard touchdown pass for the 21-6 lead.

The Green and Gold pushed their lead to 28-6 roughly one minute later when freshman Robert Jackson (Worcester, Mass.) blocked and recovered a punt in the end zone on the Lancers ensuing possession.

Fitchburg State secured the victory with 12:52 remaining in the contest as a Worcester State snap went through the back of the end zone for a Falcons' safety, resulting in the 30-14 final.

Inside the Numbers

This evening's contest marks 35th meeting between the two squads on the gridiron with the Falcons 9-36 all-time when taking on the Lancers

The two teams had split the last six meeting (3-3) as the Lancers notched a 22-16 victory in the last matchup at Elliot Field last season

Offensively for the Falcons, Fitzsimons finished 9-for-19 for 88 yards and one TD, Lawton ran for 141 yards on 35 carries and a pair of touchdowns

Nelson finished with four catches for 48 yards and one TD, while senior Jesse Brown (Yonkers, N.Y.) and sophomore Joseph Haskins (Pepperell, Mass.) grabbed two passes each for the Green and Gold

For the Lancers, sophomore Aaron-Moses Williams (Springfield, Mass.) finished 21-of-39 for 163 yards and one TD, while newcomer Cam Kergo (Mashpee, Mass.) caught a team-leading eight passes for 46 yards and one touchdown

Defensively, freshman Evan Drake (Winchendon, Mass.) netted a team-best nine tackles (one solo, eight assisted), one TFL and his first collegiate interception, while sophomore Kiambu Jones (East Orange, N.J.) added eight tackles on three solo stops and five assisted tackles

Junior Gus Ramstrom (Natick, Mass.) led Worcester State's defense with a game-leading 12 tackles on three solo stops and nine assisted tackles as well one fumble forced, while senior Anthony Casparriello (Westborough, Mass.) chipped in with 12 total tackles and 2.5 TFL's

Up Next

Falcons will host the Colonials of Western Connecticut State University next Saturday for a MASCAC tilt, starting at 12:00 PM. Lancers will travel to Westfield State on the same date for a conference matchup at 12:00 PM.