Lancers Blank Owls in MASCAC Opener, 4-0

WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Westfield State field hockey team were shut out by Worcester State, 4-0, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference game from John F. Coughlin Field in Worcester, Mass. on Friday night.

Tonight's contest marked the first conference game in the newly realigned MASCAC conference which was formerly a part of the Little East Conference. The winner of the conference will receive an automatic qualifying bid into the NCAA Tournament.

The Owls fall to 2-4 on the season and 0-1 in the MASCAC. The Lancers, who were picked to win the conference in the preseason coaches' poll, secure their first win of the season, moving to 1-3 overall and 1-0 in the league.

Worcester State opened the scoring at the conclusion of the first period, scoring on their fourth consecutive penalty corner on a set play from Zoe Athanasopoulos (Hopedale, Mass.) to Allison Keenan (Marlborough, Mass.) to end the quarter.

The Lancers were awarded another penalty corner in the second period with the initial shot from Grace Adams (Leominster, Mass.) stopped by Owls keeper Emma Gniadek (Worcester, Mass.) before Athanasopoulos buried a shot into the back of the cage to double the Lancers' lead.

Just over five minutes later, Worcester tacked on a third goal off a save and rebound from Gniadek to the stick of Charlotte MacGregor (Bellingham, Mass.) who deposited her first goal of the season.

Worcester entered the second half with a three-goal advantage and Lancers goalkeeper Madison Ferrara (Somerset, Mass.) held off an Owls onslaught in the third period. Ferrera denied a pair of shots from Sarah Richard (Templeton, Mass.) and one from Taylor Creech (Kennebunk, Maine), then stopped a shot from Erin Lane (Canton, Mass.) off a penalty corner. Six of her seven saves in the contest came in the third quarter.

Natalya Morin (Barre, Mass.) tallied the final goal of the night for Worcester to put the game out of reach.

Gniadek made ten saves as the Owls were outshot 18-12 and doubled up in shots on net (14-7).  Both teams attempted ten penalty corners apiece with the Lancers capitalizing early on three such opportunities.

Westfield State will look to get back on track in their next game as the Owls host Keene State on Tuesday at 7:00 P.M. from Alumni Field in Westfield, Mass.