FARMINGTON, Maine – Leonardo Di Biase scored his first of three goals in the fifth minute of play as the Fisher College Falcons raced to a 4-0 victory over the University of Maine at Farmington in a non-conference men's soccer matchup at Leib Field on Sunday afternoon.
The Records:
The loss drops the Beavers to 4-6-2 on the season, while Fisher improves to 6-3-1 overall with the victory.
How It Happened:
Di Biase got the Falcons on the scoreboard early, taking a pass from Santiago Blancuzzi and firing a left-footed laser into the upper right corner past the dive of sophomore goalkeeper Dylan Gagnon (Hudson, N.H.).
He doubled Fisher's lead in the 22nd minute after the Falcons were awarded a free kick just outside the top of the penalty area. Di Biase drove a low, hard shot to the left of the five-man wall that tucked neatly into the bottom-left corner of the net.
Fisher tacked on another goal in the closing seconds of the half when Zeeshan Ali lofted a cross into the six-yard box, bringing several players from both teams together in a scramble for the ball. Geronimo Santoro was able to rise above the crowd and head it into the back of the net, giving the Falcons a 3-0 lead heading into halftime.
After struggling to create chances in the opening half, Farmington generated a pair of golden opportunities in the second. Sophomore midfielder Jackson Landry (Gorham, Maine) fired a shot that looked destined for the back of the net in the 74th minute, but a brilliant defensive play by Gift-Lord Charles, heading the ball off the line, kept the Beavers off the board. Reed Pambianco (Blue Hill, Maine) also had two quality chances off free kicks: the first was stopped by Gino Gervasoni, while the second struck the wrong side of the post and stayed out.
Di Biase completed his hat trick in the 76th minute, volleying home a cross from Alec Vivas to make it 4-0.
Stats of the Game:
Shots: Farmington 12, Fisher 12
Shots on Goal: Fisher 6, Farmington 4
Corner Kicks: Farmington 4, Fisher 2
The Goalkeepers:
Gagnon made one save in the first half before giving way to Hunter Frost (Monmouth, Maine), who also recorded one save in the second half. Gervasoni stopped three shots to secure the clean sheet for Fisher.
Up Next:
Farmington returns to action next Saturday for a critical North Atlantic Conference (NAC) road matchup with Lesley University. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.
