WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State jumped out to a 3-0 lead, then hung on for a 3-2 win over Keene State in a non-conference women's soccer match at Alumni Field on Wednesday night.
Westfield State improves to 2-2-1on the season, while Keene State slips to 2-3.
Westfield state tallied first in the 14th minute of play. The Owls were awarded a free kick about 35 yards out on the left side of the pitch. Morgan Remington (Enfield, Conn.) launched a perfect serve to the center of the penalty area, where Marissa McGue (Quincy/North Quincy) controlled the ball and delivered a shot to the far post for a 1-0 lead.
Westfield grabbed a 2-0 lead early in the second half as McGue chipped the ball for Bella Eduardo (Springfield, Mass./Chicopee HS), who blasted a shot past Keene netminder Abbie Terrinca (Ludow, Mass.) as the two players collided as Terrinca came out to challenge for the ball.
The Owls tacked on what proved to be some much-needed insurance with some nice combination lay in the 54th minute, as Eduardo sent Madi Dufries (Leicester, Mass.) down the left side with a long pass, and Dufries crossed the ball for an onrushing Hallee Tripp (Swansea/Somerset-Berkley) for the goal and a 3-0 lead.
Keene anwered right back, netting their first goal just 1:21 later, earning a corner kick that resulted in a shot for Alex Kennedy (Byfield, Mass. / Triton) from 10 yards out that Owls goalkeeper Lauryn Davis (Templeton/Quabbin, Reg.) deflected off the cross bar, but on the rebound Kailana Palhoff (Loudon, NH/Merrimack Valley) was able to sneak the ball across the line at the far left post, as Davis dove for what initially appeared to be a save, but after a conversation between the referee and his linesman, determined that ball indeed crossed the line for Keene's first marker of the night.
KSU trimmed Westfield's lead to 3-2 in the 88th minute, with Kayleigh Marshall (Bow, NH) burying the rebound of Victoria Reynolds (Keene, NH) free kick from just outside the penalty area.
Stats for the match were nearly equal, with both sides mustering 13 shots, and both goalkeepers finishing with six saves. Keene held a 5-4 advantage in corner kicks.
Westfield was playing its first home game of the season after opening with four straight on the road. The Owls travelled 1,500 miles in those four games, opening the season in a tournament in Virginia Beach, before games in Manchester, Vt. and Biddeford Maine, before returning to the friendly confines of Alumni Field.
Westfield will be back in action on Saturday, opening Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference play with a match against Salem State, with a 2 p.m. kickoff at Alumni Field.
