Fitchburg State Blanked By Keene State, 5-0

Smith posts seven saves for Falcons in non-conference setback

FITCHBURG, Mass. – The Fitchburg State men's soccer team opened its 2016 campaign this afternoon, dropping a 5-0 decision to the Owls of Keene State College in non-conference action at the Owl Athletic Complex.

In the first half of play, Keene State grabbed the lead at the 6:02 mark as junior Aidan Dean received a feed from senior Conor Leahy and fired a shot into the back of the net for his first tally on the season for the 1-0 margin.

The Owls doubled their lead (2-0) at the with two minutes remaining in the opening half when newcomer Luck Ndahigwa slide a pass to sophomore forward Samuel Binogono, who deposited the ball inside the near post.

Following the break, the hosts upped their advantage at the 48:01 mark as Leahy blasted a shot into the net for his first goal on the season off an assist from junior Riley Steele to make the score 3-0. The Falcons threatened minutes later when senior Nicholas Masley put a shot on target, but Owls keeper Jason Smith turned it aside to preserve the shutout.

With the score 4-0, Keene State capped the scoring in the 81st minute of play as Binogono found the back of the net for his first marker of the 2016 campaign off a feed from newcomer LJ Luster, resulting in the 5-0 final.

Throughout the contest, Keene State held an 18-2 advantage in shots, while also holding commanding 14-2 margin in corner kicks. In goal, sophomore Connor Smith picked up seven saves for the Falcons in the complete game effort, while Smith turned away a pair of shots for the Owls in 83:15 minutes of action

Fitchburg State (0-1-0, 0-0-0 MASCAC) returns to the pitch on Wednesday at it travels to UMass Dartmouth to take on the Corsairs at 7 p.m. Keene State (1-0-0, 0-0-0 LEC) will visit Daniel Webster on Wednesday for a contest starting at 4 p.m.

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