Fitchburg State Holds Off Southern Maine, 2-1

Falcons have eyes set on LEC tournament after posting ninth conference victory

FITCHBURG, Mass. (October 31, 2009) - The Fitchburg State field hockey team clinched its Little East Conference tournament berth, defeating the University of Southern Maine, 2-1 this afternoon in an inter-conference match-up.

With her 13 win of the season, head coach Beth Bacher reaches the 100 career win milestone, matching her single season high from 1999 and 2005. Bacher is currently the program's all-time winningest coach, posting an overall record of 100-105.

After a silent first half which witness only five shots on target, Fitchburg State came alive with two goals in the second half to clinch its ninth conference victory. Senior Paula Bartalamia (Tewksbury, Mass./Tewksbury) opened the scoring early in the second frame, posting her team-leading 12th goal of the season off junior Megan Jacobs' (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton) helper.

The Falcons added their second goal of the game less than eight minutes later as offensive standout, Jamie Kelley (Pepperell, Mass./ North Middlesex) put through her fifth goal of the year. Junior Torey Van Ahnen (Seekonk, Mass./Seekonk) set up the Fitchburg State scoring drive with a blast from outside the circle, while Kelley tipped it home for a 2-0 lead.

Southern Maine ended its scoring silence late in the second period as Whitney McDaniel (Livermore, Maine/Livermore Falls) gave the Huskies a lift with 0:32 remaining in regulation. Senior India Lowe (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester) assisted on the play as McDaniel netted her sixth score of the season.

The game was a close knit battle with Southern Maine holding a 13-10 advantage in shots and a 7-5 mark in penalty corners. Junior Taylor Van Ahnen (Seekonk, Mass./Seekonk) turned in another stellar performance, posting nine saves in the complete game effort, while Allison Hill (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Cape Elizabeth) stopped four shots for the Huskies.

Fitchburg State concludes the regular season with an overall record of 13-4 (9-2 LEC) and currently awaits its pairing for the Little East Conference Tournament, while Southern Maine ends its regular season with a 10-9 record (6-5 LEC) and has earned a LEC playoff berth.

CLICK HERE FOR BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

Fitchburg State 2, Southern Maine 1

Scoring:
First Half: none
Second Half: FIT: Paula Bartalamia (Megan Jacobs), 40:05; FIT: Jamie Kelley (Torey Van Ahnen), 48:13; USM: Whitney McDaniel (India Lowe), 69:28;
Goaltending: FIT: Taylor Van Ahnen (70:00), nine saves; USM: Allison Hill (70:00), four saves;
Shots: FIT: 10; USM: 13