Miller's Late Goal Lifts Falcons Past WSU, 2-1
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Worcester St. (10-7, 5-5 LEC) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Fitchburg St. (6-10, 2-8 LEC) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
FITCHBURG, Mass. – Fitchburg State University defeated Worcester State University, 2-1, in a Little East Conference (LEC) field hockey contest on Saturday afternoon at Elliot Field. Freshman midfielder Bailey Miller netted her third goal of the season for the game-winner at the 6:17 mark of the second half.
With the victory the Green & Gold improve to 6-10 (2-8 LEC), while the Lancers fall to 10-7 (5-5 LEC) on the year.
At the 13:21 in the opening stanza the Falcons nearly found the scoreboard when sophomore forward Julia Pecoraro received a cross in front of the net, but her one-time attempt went just wide of the cage.
Junior forward Erin Morrissey crossed the ball in from the right side of the field and found the stick of freshman forward Casey Noonan, who buried it in the back of the cage for her first collegiate goal of her career that gave Fitchburg State a 1-0 advantage.
Worcester State evened the score at 23:19 in the second half off of a penalty corner, where junior midfielder Julie O'Rourke took the initial shot that was saved by Falcons net minder Lucy Holewa. Megan Ripke then picked up the rebound and put it past Holewa to bring the score to 1-1.
Fitchburg State broke the 1-1 deadlock with 6:17 remaining in the game off a penalty corner taken by senior forward Kaitlyn Silva that found freshman Kerra Anastasia, who's shot was redirected by fellow classmate Miller to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.
With just under two minutes remaining Worcester State had an opportunity to bring the game to overtime with consecutive penalty corners, but the Falcons defense held strong to preserve the 2-1 victory.
Holewa finished with seven saves in her fifth win of the season, while freshman keeper Kathryn Salemme had three stops for the Lancers in the losing effort.
Overall, Worcester State held a 13-10 advantage in shots, while holding a 10-5 edge in penalty corners.
The Falcons will return to Elliot Field on Wednesday, Oct. 29 as they host Regis under the lights at 7:00 pm. The Lancers will play their final regular season game of the year next Saturday, Nov. 1 when they travel to Eastern Connecticut State at 12:00 pm.
