BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University men's soccer team erupted for eight goals led by a hat trick performance by senior forward Renadi Durosier (Norwood, Mass.) as the Bears cruised to an 8-2 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over visiting Fitchburg State University on Saturday afternoon at sun-splashed Swenson Field.

The host Bears improve to 5-4 on the season and 1-2 in the MASCAC, while the Falcons fall to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play.

Junior midfielder Justin Borges (Milford, Mass.) got the Bears on the board just 3:26 into the game with his first goal of the season. Borges intercepted an attempted clearance inside the 18 and buried a shot into the left side of the net from ten yards out.

BSU junior goalkeeper Nate Morgado (Dartmouth, Mass.) knocked one over the bar off a well-struck ball by sophomore midfielder Stephen Nagle (Lancaster, Mass.) from 33 yards out in the 16th minute to keep the Falcons off the board.

The Bears made it a 2-0 game in the 19th minute. Senior midfielder Mike Messina (Randolph, Mass.) won a one-on-one ball coming down the left side off a touch pass from classmate Kessy Alves (Praia, Cape Verde). Messina dribbled in and slipped shot inside the right post for his first collegiate goal. Junior defender Zachary Ells (Douglas, Mass.) also assisted on the marker.

Bridgewater nearly made it a three-goal advantage late in first half as sophomore forward Kevin Roberts (Medway, Mass.) got behind the Fitchburg defense. Sophomore netminder Branton Abbett (Jasper, Ind.), however, thwarted the attempt with a nice diving stop.

Senior midfielder Kane Moran (Perth, Australia) converted a penalty kick 1:36 into the second half to give the Bears a 3-0 lead. The goal marked Moran's 12th of his career.

Junior forward Joseph Cruise (Brockton, Mass.) scored on a breakaway off a restart in the 52nd minute to make it a 4-0 game. Moran started the play with a short pass to Alves who split the Fitchburg defense with a perfectly placed thru-ball. Cruise collected the pass and beat the keeper with a shot inside the right post for his first goal of the 2018 campaign.

The Bears scored again off a restart in the 60th minute with Roberts finding the back of a wide-open net to extend the advantage to 5-0. Ells delivered the restart into the right side of the box from 38 yards out to freshman midfielder Liam Lenihan (Rockland, Mass.). Lenihan headed the ball over to Roberts who was stationed all alone in front of the left side of the net.

Senior forward Renadi Durosier (Norwood, Mass.) potted his first collegiate goal in the 67th minute off a long pass from Lenihan. Durosier outran a Fitchburg defender, beat the FSU keeper to the ball, and slipped a shot into the middle of the net from 17 yards out.

Junior defender Nolan Brassard's (Leominster, Mass.) header off sophomore forward Yanick DePina's (Boston, Mass.) corner kick got the Falcons on the board in the 69th minute. Fitchburg closed the gap to 6-2 when junior midfielder Larry Janvier (Milton, Mass.) scored off the rebound of Brassard's free kick attempt.

Durosier scored his second of the game in the 81st minute with freshman midfielder Winston Kesseh (Stoughton, Mass.) picking up the assist. Kesseh lofted a pass over the Fitchburg defense and Durosier flicked a shot over the Falcon keeper to give the Bears a 7-2 lead.

Durosier completed the hat trick and put the finishing touches on the scoring as he converted a centering pass from Kesseh in the 84th minute.

The Bears finished with a 23-9 shot advantage as well as an 8-3 edge in corner kick attempts.

Morgado made two saves to record his fifth win of the season and 15th of his career. Abbett turned aside seven shots in the setback for the Falcons.

Alves, Ells, Kesseh and Lenihan all finished with two assists apiece, while Moran tallied a goal and an assist.

Both teams return to action next Wednesday. The Bears travel to Roger Williams University to take on the Hawks at seven, while the Falcons host Nichols College at four.

Notes: The last time the Bears scored eight goals or more in a game was an 8-0 shutout of Salem State University on November 1st of 2014.