WEYMOUTH, MASS. (9/1/13) – The Lasell College men's soccer team claimed the championship of their 4th Annual Kick-Off Classic, defeating Fitchburg State 2-0 on Sunday afternoon. Lasell improves to 2-0 on the season while Fitchburg State drops to 1-1 for the campaign. Mike Skelton (Conway, N.H.) and Conor Fitzgerald (Marshfield, Mass.) each scored goals for the Lasers, and Lance Mayo (Cambridge, Mass.) added his first collegiate assist in the contest.
Lasell got on the board in the 21st minute of the contest when a foray down the right flank by senior Cedric Dybaud (Weymouth, Mass.) resulted in a foul inside the box, earning the Lasers a chance to convert from the penalty spot. Senior Mike Skelton saw his shot deflect off the hands of the Falcons goalkeeper, Aidan Hanratty (E. Bridgewater, Mass.), whose valiant effort was unable to keep the ball from deflecting into the side netting giving Lasell a 1-0 lead.
The Lasers continued to control the pace of play throughout the remainder of the opening half, but their solid pressure and good stretches of possession failed to result in another scoring opportunity. Lasell took a 1-0 lead into the break, while holding a 7-1 edge in both shots and corner kicks.
Fitchburg State began to turn the tide early in the second half, creating a couple of quality chances but they were unable to find an equalizer. Lasell created a little breathing room when Mayo pushed forward on the outside, beating a defender to the end line and crossing a ball back to Fitzgerald at the top left corner of the 18 yard box. Fitzgerald's strike found the left post and deflected into the net to give Lasell a 2-0 lead in the 72nd minute.
The Falcons mounted a couple of late chances, but were unable to score and the Lasers clinched the tournament title for the second year in a row.
Miguel Colmenares (Doral, Fla.) made one save while posting a clean sheet in goal for Lasell to push his record to 2-0, while Aidan Hanratty took the loss, making four saves on the day.
Lasell will return to the pitch on Saturday September 7th when they visit Regis College at 1:00 p.m. and Fitchburg State will resume their season on Wednesday September 4th when they host Elms College at 7:00 p.m.
Conor Fitzgerald was named the tournament Most Valuable Player, and was joined on the All-Tournament team by teammates Mike Skelton, Servi Barrientos (Providence, R.I.) and Lance Mayo. Colin Shea (Hanover, Mass.), Brett Smith (North Andover, Mass.) and Steven Martinez (Middlesex, N.J.) were selected members of the All-Tournament team for Fitchburg State, as were Douglas Silveira and Dylan Hawkins from UMass-Boston and David Linder and Cody Nash-Gibney from Newbury College.