Fitchburg State Blanks Plymouth State, 2-0

Noonan and Richard net one goal each for Falcons in key LEC victory

FITCHBURG, Mass. – Forwards Casey Noonan and Molly Richard each scored goals for the Falcons, while sophomore goalkeeper Brittany Linane tallied her first shutout of the season in net to help lift the Fitchburg State field hockey to victory in their Little East Conference opener against Plymouth State by the score of 2-0 at Elliot Field.

Senior Madeline Hoffman led the Green and Gold with four shots, while Richard and Noonan converted on their second goals of the season, tied for the team-lead.

In the opening frame, Plymouth State nearly took the lead at the 13:54 mark as sophomore Meghan Lahti fired a shot from the top of the circle that got past the Falcons keeper, but junior defender Rachael Denning cleared the ball off the goal line for the defensive save to keep the Panthers of the scoreboard.

The host got the opening goal on the board early on as Noonan controlled a rebound off the leg pad of the Panthers goalkeeper Dom Tarr before returning a shot into the back of the net for the unassisted goal just 16:14 into the action.

The goal turned out to be huge as the defensives took over throughout the remainder of the period. Plymouth State had the best opportunity to knot the score as an offensive player took a pass from her teammate in the circle but sent the shot wide of the post.

Following the intermission, the defenses continued to roll, and Fitchburg State came up enormously with just ten minutes left in the game, halting a number of scoring opportunities from the visitors to keep their slim lead intact.

In the 64^th minute, the Falcons received a huge boost when Richard took a pass from senior Erin Morrissey at the top of the circle, rifling off a shot and giving them a much needed insurance goal; and 2-0 final.

Throughout the contest, Fitchburg State held a narrow 15-14 advantage in shots, while also holding an 8-2 advantage in penalty corners. In the cage, Linane posted eight saves for the Falcons in 70:00 minutes of action, while Tarr turned away eight shots for the Panthers in the complete game effort.

Plymouth State (0-2, 0-2 LEC) are going to be playing their first home contest of the season on September 10th when they host Framingham State at 11:00 A.M. Fitchburg State (2-0; 1-0 LEC) will brace the road for their first away game of the season on the same day when travel to Keane State for a 1:30 P.M clash.

Release Courtesy of Fitchburg State student journalist Kyle Prudhomme

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