The Johnson & Wales men's soccer team defeated Fitchburg State, 2-1 in a non-conference contest at Pierce Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

The two teams battled back and forth throughout the first half with the game a scoreless tie after 45 minutes of action.

Fitchburg State got on the board at the 47:04 mark when senior Lionso Ventura (Westminster, Mass.) put in a shot from five yards out after a pass from junior Danny Bolam (East Fairfield, Vt.).  Johnson & Wales knotted the game in the 52^nd minute when sophomore Gilson Montrond (Bridgewater, Mass.) headed in a corner kick from sophomore Ben Bellows (Chester, Conn.) for his first goal in a Wildcats uniform. JWU took the lead at the 76:44 mark when senior Sebastian Bermudez (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) slipped past a Fitchburg State defender and fed a pass to freshman Jean St. Fluer (Newton, Mass.).  St. Fluer then buried a shot into the lower right corner of the net, giving the Wildcats the one goal advantage.  JWU would then hold on for the 2-1 victory.

With the win Johnson & Wales improves to 2-6-1 on the year while Fitchburg falls to 1-7 for the season.  The Wildcats will return to action on Saturday, October 2^nd when they host Albertus Magnus in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest at 3:00 p.m.