Westfield Stops Fitchburg State, 4-1
MASCAC WOMEN'S SOCCER SEMI-FINALS
Labossiere nets first collegiate in Falcons MASCAC
semi-final loss
WESTFIELD, Mass. (November 6, 2008) - Fourth-seeded Fitchburg State suffered a tough 4-1 setback to top-seeded Westfield State in the semi-final round of the Massachusetts State Colleges Athletic Conference women's soccer tournament.
The Owls, 14-4 overall and winners of 13 of their last 14 games, will host Bridgewater State in the MASCAC championship game on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 6:00 p.m. The winner receives and automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Freshman Jocelyn Labossiere (Mattapoisett, Mass./Old Rochester) led the Fitchburg State offense with one goal in the contest while junior goalkeeper Emily Swan (Franklin, Mass./Franklin) led the Falcon defense with four saves.
Westfield State sophomore Kate MacLellan (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnechaug) led all scorers with a game-high four points on one goal and two assists, while senior captain Jenn Leveille (Southampton, Mass./Hampshire Regional), sophomore Ali Pease (Ludlow, Mass./Ludlow), and sophomore Meg Gearin (Groton, Mass./Groton-Dunstable) added one goal apiece.
Westfield State jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first half of play as MacLellan and Leveille connected for consecutive scores. MacLellan opened the scoring in the 30th minute of the match with her eight goal of the season before Leveille pushed through her ninth score of the year in the 43rd minute off a corner kick.
In the second half, the Owls kept up their offensive pressure, as Pease slipped through a goal in the 53rd minute. Labossiere responded for Fitchburg State as she scored an unassisted goal in the 65th minute, but Westfield responded with an unassisted goal by Gearin to secure the victory.
Westfield State out-shot Fitchburg State 19-4 in the contest, with a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks. Swan suffered the loss for the Falcon in 58 minutes of work, while freshman Jess Pieciak (Three Rivers, Mass./Palmer) earned the victory for the Owls with two saves in net.
Fitchburg State concludes its season with an overall record of 13-6 and is now awaiting a possible ECAC Tournament bid.
CLICK HERE FOR BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY
Westfield State 4, Fitchburg State 1
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
T |
|
Westfield State (14-4) |
2 |
2 |
4 |
|
Fitchburg State (13-6) |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Scoring:
First Half: WES: Kate MacLellan (Colleen Kenney), 29:36;
WES: Jenn Leveille (MacLellan), 42:59;
Second Half: WES: Ali Pease (MacLellan),
52:32; FSC: Jocelyn Labossiere, 64:32; WES: Meg Gearin, 76:45;
Goaltending: FSC: Emily Swan (57:53),four saves;
Kyla Batchelder (18:26), no saves; Melanie Berent (13:41), one
save; WES: Jess Pieciak (90:00), two saves;
Shots On Goal: FSC: 4; WES: 19