Fitchburg State Slips Past UMass Dartmouth, 3-2 (OT)

Richard lifts Falcons to key Little East Conference victory

FITCHBURG, Mass. – Sophomore forward Molly Richard netted the game-winning marker just 1:03 into the overtime period as the Fitchburg State field hockey team defeated UMass Dartmouth, 3-2 in overtime in Little East Conference (LEC) action this morning at Elliot Field.

Fitchburg State opened the scoring at the 14:32 mark of the first half as senior forward Erin Morrissey fired a shot into the lower right corner of the net for her second tally on the season to put the Falcons up 1-0 going into the break.

Following the intermission, the Falcons double their lead (2-0) in the 42nd minute of action when junior forward Casey Noonan collected a feed from senior Madeline Hoffman and slide a shot inside the far post for her third goal on the year.

UMass Dartmouth broke its scoring silence eight minutes later as freshman forward Ellana Stormwind collected a rebounded shot off the stick of senior Katelin Morrissey and deposited the ball into the back of the cage for her first collegiate tally to make the score 2-1.

The Corsairs knotted the score (2-2) at the 64/:35 mark when junior Haley Donahay inserted a ball off a penalty corner to junior Erin Kish at the tip of the circle, who blasted a shot into the right side of the cage for her first goal on the year to send the game into overtime.

In the overtime period, the Green and Gold secured its fourth win on the year as Richard settled a loose ball at midfield and raced down the far side line before slipping a shot into the lower left corner of the cage for her team-leading fifth marker on the season, resulting in the 3-2 final.

Throughout the contest, UMass Dartmouth held a slim 14-13 advantage in shots, while the penalty corners were even at ten apiece. In the cage, sophomore Brittany Linane tuned away eight shots for the Falcons in the complete game effort, while senior Sam Brun made six save in 71:03 minutes of action for the Corsairs.

Fitchburg State (4-1, 2-1 LEC) returns to action on Tuesday at it hosts the Owls of Westfield State for a contest starting at 7 p.m. UMass Dartmouth (2-4, 1-2 LEC) will host Worcester State on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

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