MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME MEN’S SOCCER

2014 MASCAC Semifinals

Friday, November 7, 2014

Clean Harbors Stadium, Buzzards Bay, Mass.

FINAL:              FITCHBURG STATE 1, MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME 0

BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. --  Senior Brett Smith’s (North Andover, Mass.) goal 7:57 into the second half proved to be the game-winner and lifted third-seeded Fitchburg State to a 1-0 victory over second-seeded Massachusetts Maritime in semifinal round play of the 2014 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Championships Friday evening at Clean Harbors Stadium.

The visiting Falcons advance to Sunday’s conference championship match at top-seeded Bridgewater State, which defeated fifth-seeded MCLA by a 4-1 final in Friday night’s other league semifinal contest.  Sunday’s title tilt at Swenson Field in Bridgewater, Mass. begins at Noon, and the winner will receive the MASCAC’s automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Championships, which begin next week.

Smith took a throw-in from freshman Matan Shmerling (Amherst, Mass.) and converted a header for his second marker of the season on the golden goal for Fitchburg State, which evened its overall record at 10-10 with the triumph.  Senior Aidan Hanratty (East Bridgewater, Mass.) took care of the rest in goal for the Falcons, as he made six saves to pick up his 10^th win and ninth shutout of the season in conditions that saw constant winds out of the northwest gusting up to 30 miles per hour.

Sophomore Joe Cohen (Plymouth, Mass.) made five saves in suffering the season-ending setback for the host Buccaneers, who finish the year at 7-8-2 while advancing to the conference semifinals for a second straight year and for the third time in program history.  Massachusetts Maritime outshot Fitchburg State by a 15-10 margin overall, as each team had eight shots with the winds at their back.  The Buccaneers also held a 7-4 edge in corner kicks for the evening, as Hanratty turned aside a pair of shots off corners in the opening 45 minutes of play.

Fitchburg State seeks its first-ever MASCAC tournament title in Sunday’s championship round and also looks to avenge a 2-1 regular season setback to Bridgewater State back on October 11^th.  The Bears will be looking for their second straight and fourth overall conference tournament crown.