Falcons Nipped By Huskies, 2-1 In Double Overtime

Tocco nets eighth tally for Green and Gold 

Gorham, Maine. – The sixth seeded Falcons of Fitchburg State University dropped a 2-1 double overtime decision to the third seeded University of Southern Maine Huskies this evening at Hannaford Field in opening round action of the 2018 Little East Conference (LEC) Field Hockey post-season tournament.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 1, Southern Maine 2 (2OT)

Records: Fitchburg State (10-10) I Southern Maine (13-7)

How It Happened

Fitchburg State nearly opened the scoring early in the contest as senior Alanah Pacheco (Assonet, Mass./Apponequet Regional) fired a shot on frame, but Huskies goalkeeper Lindsay Pych (West Milford, N.J./Morristown-Beard) denied the scoring opportunity.

Southern Maine grabbed the lead at the 28:07 mark when junior Abbie Staples (Alfred, Maine/Massabesic) collected a feed from senior Dorina Sirois (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) and found the back of the net for her ninth tally on the season for the 1-0 edge going into the break.

Following the intermission, the Falcons knotted the score(1-1)  in the 59th minute of play as sophomore Nicole Tocco (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester) received a pass from junior Aislinn DeHorsey (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) and deposited the ball inside the near post for her eighth tally on the year to force the overtime period.

In the second overtime, the Huskies secured the win at the 80:27 mark when freshman Samantha Ellis (New Vineyard, Maine/Mt. Blue) connected on her 1th goal of the season, resulting in the 2-1 final.

Inside the Numbers

This afternoon's contest will mark the 38th meeting between the two teams in the sport of field hockey with the Falcons currently 11-26-1 all-time when taking on the Huskies.

Fitchburg State had won the last five matchups with Southern Maine, including a 2-1 decision earlier this season at Elliot Field.

In the cage, freshman Abby Bryant (Ware, Mass./Qaubbin Regional) made six saves for the Falcons in the setback, while sophomore McKenzie Cormier (Hiram, Maine/Sacopee Valley) picked up the win in relief for the Huskies.

DeHorsey posted one defensive save for the Green and Gold.

Southern Maine held a 14-4 margin in shots, while also finishing with a 9-5 edge in penalty corners.

Up Next

Falcons conclude the 2018 season with an overall record of 10-10 and a 7-5 clip in conference play. Huskies advance to the semifinal round on Friday and will take on the Keene State/Bridgewater State winner at a time to be determined.