Fitchburg State Holds Off Johnson and Wales, 1-0

Richard notches first collegiate marker in Falcons season opening victory

FITCHBURG, Mass. – Freshman forward Molly Richard registered her first collegiate tally to propel the Fitchburg State field hockey to a 1-0 victory over the Wildcats of Johnson and Wales University in the 2015 season opener for the Falcons at Elliot Field this afternoon.

Both teams trade scoring chances throughout the opening 35 minutes of play, combining for seven shots on target, Fitchburg State's best offensive opportunity came at the just 1:14 into the frame as senior Erin Morrissey and junior Julia Pecoraro each had shots turned aside by Wildcat goaltender Shannon Yoder.

Not to be outdone, Falcon keeper Judith Valentin matched Yoder save for save, stopping a pair of shot off the sticks of sophomores Katarina Brunette and Jessica Gravails, while senior back Kelly Luttazi added a defensive save to preserve the 0-0 stalemate going into the break.

In the second half, Johnson and Wales nearly broke the 0-0 deadlock in the 39th minute of action as sophomore Shaina Thompson and newcomer Adriana Scala each fired shots on goal, but Valentin was able deny both opportunities.

Fitchburg State dented the score board at the 42:09 mark as Richard collected a loose ball in front of the cage and deposited the ball inside the near post for her first collegiate tally to lift the Falcons to the 1-0 victory.

Johnson and Wales held a slim 13-12 advantage in shots, while also holding a 7-1 margin in penalty corners. In the cage, Valentin was stellar in net for the Falcon, making nine stops en-route to the shutout victory, while Yoder was just as impressive, posting four saves for the Wildcats in the complete game effort.

Fitchburg State (1-1, 0-0 LEC) returns to action on Tuesday as it travels to WPI to take on the Engineers at 7 p.m. Johnson and Wales (0-3, 0-0 NAC) will visit Roger Williams University on Saturday at 5 p.m.

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