2009 LITTLE EAST SEMIFINALS

UMass Dartmouth Fitchburg State, 4-0

Falcons end play-off run and close out 2009 season

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. (November 5, 2009) - Second-seeded UMass Dartmouth ended third-seeded Fitchburg State's Little East Conference play-off run, defeating the Falcons 4-0 at Cressy Field this afternoon.

UMass Dartmouth (14-6, 9-2 LEC) advances to the Little East Conference finals and will face the winner of top-seeded Keene State College and fourth-seeded Framingham State. Fitchburg State concludes it 2009 campaign with an overall record of 14-5 and a 9-2 clip in the LEC.

The Corsairs received a solid effort from freshman Eleanor Taylor (Fairhaven, Mass./Bishop Stang) who posted two goals in the contest, while Maille Lynch-Gilbert (Petersham, Mass./Quabbin Regional) and Abby Zarotny (Waitfield, Vt./Harwood Union) added one score apiece.

Fitchburg State played a strong, defensive first half, limiting the high-flying UMass offense to only one goal in the frame. The Corsairs, who tallied nine goals throughout the Little East playoffs, got on the board late in the half as Taylor chipped in her first score of the game off Erica Allan's (Amherst, Mass./Amherst) assist.

In the second half, UMass Dartmouth increased its offensive tempo, opening the period with pressure off its penalty corners. Despite several athletic saves from junior goaltender Taylor Van Ahnen (Seekonk, Mass./Seekonk), the Corsairs doubled their lead just 13 minutes into the half as Gilbert slammed home a one-time shot off Kylie Treat's (Hampstead, N.H./Pinkerton Academy) helper.

Following its second goal of the match, UMass Dartmouth continued to attack, registering back-to-back scores over the final 15:19 to seal its championship berth. Zarotny tacked on the Corsairs third goal of the game in the 55th minute, while Taylor padded the lead with her second marker of the contest.

UMass Dartmouth controlled the offensive side of the ball with 14 shots in the contest, including a commanding 11-5 advantage in corners. Van Ahnen ended her career season strong, totaling nine saves in net, while senior Seanna Golden (Somerset, Mass./Bishop Stang) stopped six shots for the Corsairs.

CLICK HERE FOR BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

UMass Dartmouth 4, Fitchburg State 0

Scoring:
First Half: UMD: Eleanor Taylor (Erica Allan), 22:52;
Second Half: UMD: Maille Lynch-Gilbert (Kylie Treat), 48:50; UMD: Abby Zarotny (Natalie Brown), 54:41;UMD: Taylor (Kelly Ann Finn), 65:42;
Goaltending: FIT: Taylor Van Ahnen (70:00), nine saves; UMD: Seanna Golden (70:00), six saves;
Shots: FIT: 16; UMD: 6