KEENE, NH - The Monks Men's Soccer team began the 2010 campaign with a 3-0 victory over Fitchburg State in the Xara Classic Tournament, hosted by Keene State College, on Saturday afternoon. Paul Robins '11 (Cornwall, England) recorded a pair of assists and SJC keeper Nick Campasano '12 (Goffstown, NH), making his first NCAA start, made five saves in the shutout victory.

After 45 minutes of scoreless play, the Monks broke the deadlock 1:20 into the second stanza with an unassisted goal from Eamonn Harrigan '11 (Caribou, ME), who beat Falcons netminder Alex Ivanov '11 (Carlisle, MA) with a shot from the left side.

Jack LaFreniere '13 (Alton, NH) doubled the SJC advantage 14 minutes later and Robins earned an assist on the play, as he sprung the sophomore forward free with a lead pass to set up the score. LaFreniere chipped the ball into the net, past a sprawling Ivanov, for his first goal of the season.

The 2-0 lead held until the 85th minute when Ross Suleski '14 (Amesbury, MA/Saint Thomas Aquinas) netted his first NCAA marker with a header goal to put the Monks up by three. Robins notched his second helper on the day, as the senior tri-captain lofted a free kick on goal with Suleski finishing the play with a nice header score.

St. Joe's dominated the game statistically, as the Royal Blue held a 21-7 advantage in shots and an 8-5 edge in shots on target. The Monks, who had never played Fitchburg State before today, also attained a 9-0 advantage in corner kicks in the victory.

For the Monks, Robins registered five shots, Harrigan recorded four shots and LaFreniere posted three attempts. For the Falcons, Lionso Ventura '11 Westminster, MA) and Chris Kleindl '14 (Tokyo, Japan) both notched a pair of shots and Ivanov made five saves in the losing effort.

Both teams resume play tomorrow on the final day of the 2010 Xara Classic. Saint Joseph's (1-0) will take to the pitch at 12:00 PM versus Kean University, while Fitchburg (0-1) is set to face off against Keene State at 2:30 PM.