ERIN LANE !!! Late Goal Lifts Owls Into MASCAC Championship Game

WESTFIELD, Mass. – It turns out the 17^th time is the charm.   Westfield State's Erin Lane (Canton, Mass.) scored the lone goal of the match on a blast from the top of the circle on Westfield's 17^th penalty corner of the game to give the Owls a 1-0 win over Worcester State in the MASCAC Field Hockey semifinals at Alumni Field on Thursday night.

With the win, #2 seed Westfield State (12-8) will now host the conference championship game against #5 Bridgewater State at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday at Alumni Field.

Bridgewater upset top-seeded Fitchburg State in the other semifinal game tonight, clearing the path for the Owls to host.

With the win, Westfield matches the school-record for wins in a season with 12, set in 1996 and matched in 2011 and again last year.

Little separated the Owls and Lancers (8-11) all season, and again tonight.

Westfield peppered Worcester for 17 penalty corners and 14 shots on goal, all saved by Lancers' goalie Madison Ferrara (Somerset, Mass.) until lane struck with 2:32 left in regulation.

Senior Leah Pierce (Barnstable, Mass.) inserted the penalty corner from the left side of the cage, and found classmate Abby Clark (Uxbridge, Mass.) for a stick stop at the top of the circle.  Lane stepped into a slapshot that ricocheted off the stick of a Lancers defender, and carried over the head of Ferrara into the back netting for the decisive goal.

The two teams had back and forth action all night.

The Lancers missed a golden scoring opportunity midway through the second quarter when Natalya Morin (Barre, Mass.) drove the right endline and fired a dangerous cross across the goal mouth that nearly found teammate Rhianna Morin (Burrellville, RI) crashing the cage, but the ball hopped over the stick and the chance slid by the boards.

After a scoreless opening half, Worcester ratcheted up their offensive pressure early in the half, rattling off five shots on goal, all saved by Westfield State keeper Emma Gniadek (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) in the first eight minutes of the half.

Gniadek finished with 10 saves.  The two keepers exchanged saves throughout the first three periods, before Westfield finally found an edge in the fourth quarter.  In one series, the Owls had four straight penalty corners, and the Owls out cornered the Lancers 6-0 in the final frame.

For Gniadek it was the fourth shutout of the season.

After the Lane goal, Worcester was not able to muster a shot for a tying goal, as the Owls maintained possession for the final minute and a half working the sideline to protect the lead.

Saturday's game will be the Owls first appearance in a conference championship game since 2017, and quite possibly the biggest game for Westfield on the Alumni Field turf since the Owls hosted the inaugural NCAA Division III final four in 1981.

The winner of the Westfield State – Bridgewater State title game on Saturday will secure the league champion's automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division III National Tournament.