Falcons Hold Off Panthers, 1-0

Falcons Hold Off Panthers, 1-0

Richard lifts Fitchburg State to key LEC victory

Plymouth, N.H. – The Fitchburg State University field hockey team registered a 1-0 victory over the Panthers of Plymouth State, 1-0 in Little East Conference (LEC) action this evening at Kennedy Field.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 1, Plymouth State 0

Records: Fitchburg State (3-3, 2-1 LEC) | Plymouth State (2-3, 2-1 LEC)

How It Happened

Fitchburg State grabbed a 1-0 edge at the 22:53 mark as senior forward Molly Richard (Leominster, Mass./St. Bernard's) settled a feed from freshman Sarah Craig (Ashburnham, Mass./Oakmont Regional) and redirected a shot inside the far post for her first tally of the season.

Following the break, the Panthers nearly knotted the score in the 57th minute of action when sophomore Haley Wakefield (South Paris, Maine/Oxford) blasted a shot on frame, but Falcon keeper Abby Bryant (Ware, Mass./Quabbin Regional) denied the scoring opportunity.

The Falcons almost upped their margin with ten minutes left in the contest as junior Aislinn DeHorsey (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) put a shot on goal only to have Panther netminder Jess Distler (Brookfield, N.H./Kingswood Regional) make an outstanding kick save, resulting in the 1-0 final.

Inside the Numbers

This evening's contest will mark the 21st meeting between the two teams in the sport of field hockey with the Falcons currently 5-16-0 all-time when taking on the Panthers.

The two teams have split the previous four matchups with Plymouth State securing a 2-1 victory last season at Kennedy Field.

In the cage, Bryant posted six saves for the Falcons to earn her first collegiate shutout, while Distler stopped seven shots for the Panthers in the complete game effort.

Wakefield concluded the contest with game-best four shots on the evening.

Plymouth State held a slim 12-10 margin in shots, while also posting a 13-5 advantage in penalty corners.

Up Next

Falcons will travel to Bridgewater State on Saturday to take on the Bears in an LEC bout, starting at 3:00 PM. Panthers will host the Colonials of Western Connecticut State for a conference matchup at 11:00 AM.