Field Hockey Upended By Golden Bears In Non-Conference Action

Arbia nets first collegiate tally for Green and Gold

Fitchburg, Mass. – The Fitchburg State field hockey suffered a tough 4-1 setback to the Golden Bears of Western New England in non-conference action this afternoon from Elliot Field.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 1, Western New England 4

Records: Fitchburg State (0-3, 0-0 MASCAC) | Western New England (5-0, 0-0 CCC)

How It Happened

Western New England broke a 0-0 stalemate in the 25th minute of action as sophomore Kara Edwards (Enfield, CT) riffled a shot into the left side of the cage for her third goal of the season for the 1-0 edge.

Fitchburg State nearly knotted the score with three minutes remaining in the first half when senior Joyce Arbia (Sag Harbor (NY) ripped a shot on frame, but Golden Bears keeper Ella Henry (Wilbraham, MA) turned the shot aside to preserve the 1-0 advantage going into the break.

Following the intermission, the Golden Bears threatened at the 43:08 mark with sophomore Haley Kaczka (Granby, CT) was awarded a penalty stroke, only to have Falcon goal keeper Jenna Morse (Leominster, MA) made the save to keep the score at 1-0.

Western New England upped the lead to 2-0 in the 47th minute of play when Kacaka received a feed from senior Carly-Anna Barba (Madison, CT) and struck for her second marker on the year. The visitors secured the victory three minutes later as junior Sarah Johnston (Uxbridge, MA) collected a loose ball in front of the cage and deposited a shot inside the far post for her first tally of the 2023 campaign to make the score 3-0.

Fitchburg State dented the score board with just over four minutes remaining in the contest with Arbia redirected a loose ball into the lower right corner for her first collegiate score, resulting in the 4-1 final.

Inside the Numbers

• This afternoon's contest marked the first ever meeting between the two schools in the sport of field hockey
• Western New England held a 22-5 advantage in shots, while finishing with a 19-5 margin
• Morse stopped 14 shots for the Falcons
• Henry made one saves for the Golden Bears
• Joyce Arbia notched her first collegiate tally for the Green and Gold

Up Next

Falcons return to action on Saturday as they travel to Framingham State to take on the Rams for a MASCAC matchup, starting at 11:00AM.

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