Top Seeded Worcester State, Second Seeded Westfield State To Meet For 2011 MASCAC Women's Soccer Championship
The two programs that have combined to win the last seven Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Soccer championships will meet for the 2011 crown on Saturday afternoon, as top-seeded Worcester State and second-seeded Westfield State advanced to the title match with respective home semi-final round victories over fourth-seeded Fitchburg State and third-seeded Bridgewater State Thursday evening
Courtesy Worcester State Sports Information
Click here for Worcester State-Fitchburg State box score
Worcester, MA --- Worcester State junior Brianne Beckman (Lakeville, MA) netted the game-winning goal in the 19th minute to help propel the top-seeded Lancers to a 2-1 triumph over #4 Fitchburg State in the MASCAC Women’s Soccer Tournament Semifinals at Coughlin Field this evening.
The Blue and Gold (13-4-1) move on to play second-seeded Westfield State on Saturday at 4:30 PM in the MASCAC Championship, as the Owls defeated #3 Bridgewater State 3-0 earlier this evening.
With the defeat, Fitchburg State’s campaign comes to an end as they finish with a 10-6-2 record.
WSU opened up the scoring in the 10th minute when sophomore Gaby Gonet (Agawam, MA) fed a cross from the left side of the net where senior Danielle Clifford (Attleboro, MA) buried the shot for her team-high seventh marker of the season.
Beckman’s goal came nine minutes later when she found the ball during a scramble in the box and kicked it in for her fifth goal of the season, giving the Lancers the early 2-0 lead.
Fitchburg State’s scoring play came in the 29th minute when fourth-year Erica Graves (Feeding Hills, MA) launched a shot from 25-yards out that trickled past senior goalkeeper Angieszaka Sychtysz (Warren, MA) cutting the deficit in half.
With momentum on their side the Falcons had another great opportunity to score following a corner kick, but the attempt from senior Carissa Kennedy (Somerset, MA) was kicked out of harms way for a team save by fourth-year Nikki Scott (Berlin, MA).
Worcester State had a golden chance to net an insurance goal at the tail end of the opening frame on a breakaway by senior Sarah Rafferty (Uxbridge, MA) after a long pass from Scott, but her bid rang the crossbar.
The second half was uneventful as the Lancers held a 7-0 advantage in shots as the backs did a tremendous job of holding the visitors on their own side of the 50-yardline.
Sychtysz made three saves for the Lancers while Fitchburg State sophomore net-minder Jillian Kirouac (Leominster, MA) turned aside seven shots in the loss.
The Lancers had the 16-5 lead in shots and the upper hand in corners (5-2).
With her marker tonight, Clifford is now tied with Trisha Cushing (1998-01) for fourth on WSU’s all-time scoring list with 67 points in her outstanding career.
Courtesy Westfield State Sports Information
Click here for Westfield State-Bridgewater State box score
WESTFIELD Mass. – The Ludlow Connection of junior forwards Kayley Miller (2 goals) and Brittanie McGregor (1 goal, 2 assists) powered Westfield State University to a 3-0 victory over Bridgewater State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) women’s soccer tournament semifinal game on Thursday evening, Nov. 3.
Westfield, the No. 2 seed, boosted its record to 14-3-1 and will play at No. 1 seed Worcester State University in the MASCAC championship game on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 4:30 p.m. The winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III national tournament.
Worcester State advanced to the championship game with a 2-1 victory over No. 4 seed Fitchburg State on Thursday evening. Bridgewater State, the No. 3 seed, is 11-7-1. Worcester, Westfield, and Bridgewater tied for the MASCAC regular season crown with 5-2 records.
The Owls, who defeated the Bears, 4-1, during the regular season, led 2-0 at halftime as the Ludlow Connection teamed up for a pair of goals.
In the fifth minute McGregor delivered a thru ball to the left side to Miller, who blasted a shot from 10 yards inside the far post after splitting two defenders. In the 24th minute, McGregor crossed a pass from the left side to Miller, who fired a low shot into the back of the net inside the left post.
It was McGregor’s 14th goal of season; she also has 37 points this season, the third best in school history.
Westfield capped its scoring in the 49th minute when McGregor tallied her 12th goal this season (29 points) after assists from freshman Ashleigh Chretien (North Attleboro) and junior Leann Rivard (Chicopee/Comp HS).
It was Rivard’s 15th assist this season, which ties the single-season record set in 2009 by Kate MacLellan.
Westfield outshot Bridgewater, 16-7, and also led in corners, 10-1.