Fitchburg State Stuns Westfield State, 2-1 (OT)
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fitchburg St. (3-5, 1-1 MASCAC) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
|
Westfield St. (3-4, 1-1 MASCAC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Goldenberg nets game-winner for Falcons in key MASCAC victory
WESTFIELD, Mass. – Freshman defender Micalea Goldenberg scored on a penalty kick in overtime to lift Fitchburg State past Westfield State University, 2-1 in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference women's soccer match at Alumni Field this afternoon.
The Falcons' game winner (2-1) came after Westfield State turned the ball over in the midfield. Junior midfielder Whitney Mansfield rushed the ball up the middle of the field and slotted it to the left side for senior Victoria Floeck, who was taken down from behind by an Owls defender. Goldenberg took the ensuing penalty kick and hit a low shot to the left side of the net for the game winner 7:36 into the overtime period.
In the first half, Fitchburg State took a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute of the match when Mansfield controlled the ball in the middle of the penalty area and fired a shot inside the right post for her second tally on the season.
The Owls equalized the game in the 37th minute as junior Taylor Grijalva fed a pass to classmate Michaela St. Cyr, who proceeded to fire a shot into the back of the net for her first goal of the 2016 campaign to knot the score at 1-1 going into intermission.
In the second half, Westfield State's best scoring chance came when sophomore midfielder Hannah Zannini put a shot on frame with 6:15 remaining in regulation, but Falcon goalkeeper Alexandra Foster denied the scoring chance, setting the stages for Goldenberg's game-winner in overtime.
Throughout the contest, Westfield State held a 19-9 edge in shots, while also holding a 7-0 margin in corner kicks. In net, Foster finished with 10 saves for the Falcons in 97:36 minutes of action, while junior Natalia Falcone stopped four shots for the Owls in the complete game effort.
Fitchburg State (3-5-0, 1-1-0 MASCAC) returns to the pitch on Tuesday as it hosts the Seahawks of Salve Regina University at 7 p.m. Westfield State (3-4-0, 1-1-0 MASCAC) will host Union (NY) College in a non-conference match on Wednesday for a contest starting at 7 p.m.