FITCHBURG, Mass. - UMass Boston Men's Soccer dropped their first contest of the season against Fitchburg State on Tuesday night, surrendering the tie-breaking goal in the 89th minute of the game.

THE BASICS
UMass Boston 2, Fitchburg State 3

UMass Boston (2-1-0)
Fitchburg State (2-0-0)

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Beacons entered Fitchburg on Tuesday afternoon in search of their first 3-0 since the 2016 campaign. 

The bid for three straight hit a snag early when Fitchburg State's Elijah Kalombo gave the Falcons a 1-0 lead with under 20 minutes left to play in the half.

The UMass Boston response was swift. Just four minutes after surrendering the opening score, the Beacons tied the contest at one apiece thanks to the first career goal of Toby Prabhu-Schlosser.

Kalombo's second goal of the game sent Fitchburg State into the halftime break with a 2-1 lead.

In the second half, the UMass Boston offensive attack continued to rely on their standout newcomers. At the 57:22 mark in the frame, Gabriel Meireles recorded his sixth point in just his third career game, threading a pass that set up John Arruda for the first goal of his career, tying the game at two.

On the back of a third straight 90-minute performance by reigning Little East Conference Defensive Player of the Week Diego Gisholt, the Beacons' defense was able to hold the Falcons at bay for most of the second half.

With both defenses standing tall, it appeared that the game was destined for a 2-2 draw, until Kalombo found the net for the third time of the night, finishing off his hat trick and handing the Beacons their first loss.

BY THE NUMBERS 

• 14 of the Beacons' 23 points this season have been recorded by first-year players
• UMass Boston fired 21 shots, 12 of which were on goal
• Meireles leads the Little East Conference with three assists and ranks in the top-five in both goals and points
• The Beacons lead the all-time series against Fitchburg State with a record of 17-15-4 

WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons will return to Boston to face MIT in a non-conference match kicking off at noon on Saturday, September 9. UMass Boston will look to end their four-game winless streak against the Engineers.