UMass Dartmouth Blanks Fitchburg State, 2-0

Valentin posts nine stops for the Falcons 

FITCHBURG, Mass.  – The Fitchburg State field hockey team was in action this evening, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Corsairs of UMass Dartmouth in Little East Conference (LEC) field hockey action at Elliot Field.

In the first period of play, UMass Dartmouth opened the scoring in the 20th minute of play as sophomore back Michaela Carrier collected a loose ball in front of the net and fired a shot into the upper left corner of the cage for her second tally of the season for the 1-0 margin.

The Falcons nearly knotted the score late in the stanza when junior forward Erin Morrissey spilt a pair of defenders and blasted a shot on target, but Corsairs goaltender Elizabeth St. Germaine was able to deflect the shot away from goal to preserve the 1-0 lead going into the break.

Following intermission, Fitchburg State turned up the offensive pressure as Morrissey and newcomer Kerra Anastasi both had quality scoring chances four minutes into the stanza but St. Germaine was up to the task, turning away both shots.

The Corsairs secured their ninth victory on the season when junior Ali Ladue settled the ball off her own rebound and deposited the ball inside the far post for the unassisted marker, resulting in the 2-0 final.

Throughout the match, UMass Dartmouth held a 20-9 advantage in shots, while also holding a 16-1 margin in penalty corners. In the cage, junior Judith Valentin made nine stops in the complete game effort for Fitchburg State, while St. Germaine finished with four saves in en-route to the clean sheet for the Corsairs.

Fitchburg State (5-10, 1-8 LEC) will be back in action on Saturday as it hosts the Lancers of Worcester State for a contest starting at 10 a.m. UMass Dartmouth (9-8, 6-3 LEC) will host Plymouth State University on Saturday at 4 p.m.