Fitchburg, MA --- Junior Brendan Whitson (Auburn, MA) buried his team-leading sixth marker of the season in the 103rd minute off an assist from classmate Dan Goodine (Dracut, MA) as they both help lift Worcester State to a 1-0 double-overtime triumph in MASCAC men's soccer action this morning at Elliot Field.
The victory for Worcester State (2-10-2, 1-3-2 MASCAC) snaps a 10-game winless streak which dated back to September 8, a 1-0 win over Southern Maine. The Falcons drop to 4-10-2 and 1-5 in the MASCAC with the setback.
Prior to Whitson's golden goal, the two teams had played to a stalemate with Fitchburg State holding the slight 24-19 edge in shots - including the 19-17 advantage through the first two periods.
Goodine set-up a nice, left-footed feed, which Whitson blasted into the left side of the net.
Freshman netminder Tim Schmidt (Southwick, MA) earned the triumph for the Blue and Gold as he played the final 42:10 of the contest (3 saves) after replacing first-year teammate Nick Zucco (Ludlow, MA) who had been ejected after starting the opening 60:46 (5 saves).
Both combined for the team-shutout - WSU's third this season.
FSU keeper Aiden Hanratty (E. Bridgewater, MA) stopped nine of the 10 shots he saw on net in the loss for the hosts.
Fitchburg State held the 4-2 edge in corner kicks. The match also proved to be a physical one as the two squads combined for 25 fouls. There were also four yellow cards and one red card.
Worcester State visits Rhode Island College on Monday at 7 PM while the Falcons entertain Salem State next Saturday at 1 PM.