Avani Richardson Scores but Men’s Soccer Nipped At Fitchburg State, 2-1

FITCHBURG, Mass.—The MCLA Men's Soccer Team woke up this morning and must have felt that they were looking in a mirror when they traveled to Fitchburg State for a MASCAC matchup with the Falcons at the Elliot Field Athletic Complex. The teams entered the game with matching 2-2-1 conference records and a 7-6-2 overall record. The Falcons came in with a three-game win streak, while the Trailblazers had won their last two. And with such similar teams, it should be no surprise when the game comes down to a single goal. Avani Richardson scored for the Trailblazers, but Zachariah Foster scored twice for the Falcons.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Saturday, October 26, 2024
• Score: MCLA 1, Fitchburg State 2
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 7-7-2 (MASCAC 2-3-1) | Fitchburg State Falcons 8-6-2 (MASCAC 3-2-1)
• Series History: MCLA State leads the all-time series 27-14-2, including a 1-1 tie last season in North Adams on October 20^th. Fitchburg won the first-ever meeting between the teams 5-1 on October 16, 1967.

HOW IT WENT DOWN

• Following a scoreless first half that included a 5-2 edge in shots for Fitchburg, MCLA was the first team to break through with a score. Avani Richardson (Amherst, MA) did the deed in the 54^th minute. Senior defender Conor Green (Bolton, MA) started the play with a strong throw-in from the left sideline that a Fitchburg defender headed out. However, the header went directly to Richardson at the top of the "D," where he kicked it from midair, about 15 yards out, and it knuckled its way past the goalkeeper and into the goal. The goal was Richardson's second of the year.
• The Trailblazer lead wouldn't stand for long because, in the 57^th minute, the Falcons' Zachariah Foster converted on a penalty kick after an MCLA defender was called for a handball inside the box.
• Foster would also pick up the game-winning goal in the 78^th minute after being tripped up by an MCLA defender at the box's outer edge; he netted his third goal of the season with a kick to the lower right corner of the goal.
• Fitchburg's Luke Spears was credited with the win after stopping three of the four shots on goal he faced, while Trailblazers' keeper Ryan Taylor saw their record fall to 6-5-1.

UP NEXT:

On Friday, MCLA will be back in action when they wrap up their regular season and travel to Bridgewater State for a MASCAC matchup with the Bears at the Edward C. Swenson Athletic Complex. The teams will take the pitch for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

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