Men's Soccer Defeats Fitchburg State in a Hard Hitting Battle in Season Opener

CHICOPEE, Mass. - The Elms College Men's Soccer team hosted Fitchburg State University in a non-conference game for their 2025 season opener at Leary Field on Friday evening. 

BASICS
Score: Elms College 2 | Fitchburg State University 1
Records: Blazers 1-0-0, 0-0-0 (GNAC) | Falcons 0-1-0, 0-0-0 (MASCAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The first half started slowly for the Blazers, as they were not able to get their shots passed the Fitchburg State goalkeeper, but that did not stop Elms from buckling down on defense. Sophomore goalkeeper Jack Bousquet (Clinton, Conn.) made a couple of nice saves for the Blazers throughout the first half, preserving a 0-0 tie for the Blazers. Late in the first half, the Falcons made another push to get on the board, but Elms handled this pressure nicely and went into half with a 0-0 tie.

The Blazers struck right away when junior forward Dru Fairthorne (Ludlow, Mass.) scored immediately after half to go up 1-0. With momentum, Elms could not break through a second time, and instead ceded a goal immediately after to Fitchburg, which knotted the game up 1-1. This did not deter Elms though, as they continued to push the ball offensively, which led to a goal by senior forward Jacobo Molina Ferrer (Valencia, Spain) that was assisted by senior forward/midfielder Wai Kyaw (West Springfield, Mass.), giving the Blazers a 2-1 lead. Fitchburg State responded by shooting a flurry of shots on the Elms goal, but Bousquet played nicely in goal and saved each shot, giving Elms a chance to come out of the game with a win. Late in the game, the Blazers were pushed to the brink on defense and yielded two shots to the Falcons, but Bousquet was there to save the day again and deliver Elms a 2-1 win in their season opener.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Fairthorne and Molina Ferrer would each score a goal for the Blazers, with Molina Ferrer taking two shots,

• The Blazers would also see shots from senior midfielder Pajorn Drysdale (Nantucket, Mass.) and sophomore forward Ramaul Morgan, Jr. (Port Chester, N.Y.)

• Bousquet would stop six of the seven shots he faced.

UP NEXT: The Elms Men's Soccer team will host Vermont State University-Lyndon on Saturday, August 30th at 1 pm in a non-conference game at Leary Field.

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