Fitchburg State Upends Top Seeded Plymouth State, 1-0
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fitchburg St. (11-8) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Plymouth St. (11-6) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Richard registers lone goal for Falcons in LEC quarterfinal victory
NEW HAMPTON, N.H. – Freshman Molly Richard scored the only goal of the game with 22 minutes remaining in the second half Tuesday evening as eighth-seeded Fitchburg State University stunned top-ranked Plymouth State University, 1-0, in a Little East Conference Field Hockey Tournament quarterfinal game at the New Hampton School Field.
The victory send the Falcons, 11-8 overall, into a semifinal game Thursday at fourth-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University, as the Warriors advanced Tuesday night with a 3-0 victory over fifth-seeded Westfield State University.
With the setback, Plymouth State falls to 11-6 overall and awaits a possible bid into the ECAC DIII New England Field Hockey Tournament.
The game was a tight defensive battle the whole night, with the teams managing only three shots each. PSU had a slim 2-1 advantage in shots in the opening 35 minutes, while the Green and Gold held a 2-1 margin after the break.
Richard collected a loose back in the midfield area 12 minutes into the second half, dribbled through a couple Panther defenders, and fired a slap shot from just inside the top of the circle that beat PSU sophomore goalie Alivia Bates (Pennsauken, N.J.) to her right. It was Richard's team-leading 11th goal of the season.
In the cage, Fitchburg State senior Judith Valentin made three saves to record her third shutout of the season, while getting strong support from several teammates, including senior Kelly Luttazi, junior Nicole Fors and sophomore Rachael Denning, while Bates turned away two shots for the Panthers in the complete game effort.
Release Courtesy Of Plymouth State SID Office