Paxton, MA --- Sophomore Julie O'Rourke (Worcester, MA/St. Peter-Marian) registered the game-winning goal and helped on an insurance goal to help lead Worcester State to a 3-2 victory over Anna Maria on Thursday evening.
With the victory the Lancers have tripled their win total from a year ago (9-7) while the AMCATS fall to 12-6.
The contest was originally postponed from a September 12 meeting that was delayed due to lightning.
WSU had the early 1-0 advantage starting off the contest on their school-record breaking 50th team marker of the season when junior Kelli McPherson (Mansfield, MA) found freshman Katelyn Carmody (Shelburne Falls, MA) following a penalty corner.
Restarting the game with just over 25 minutes left in the opening frame, AMCAT sophomore netminder Mary Kate Breen (Londonderry, NH) stonewalled the next four attempts on net to preserve the one-goal deficit.
The effort allowed the hosts to equalize the score 1-1 on the seventh marker of the campaign for sophomore Kayla Lapierre (Worcester, MA/South) who was assisted by classmate Kaylie Dalbec (Portland, ME) on the right side of the net at the 26:52 mark.
But O'Rourke finished a loose scramble for the ball with under three minutes remaining for her eighth of the campaign for the 2-1 edge at the intermission.
Opting for the extra attacker and an empty net, second-year Amanda Carpenter (Lunenberg, MA) was inserted as the kicking back to start off the second frame.
The Lancers used the man-up advantage to score a key insurance goal off the first collegiate goal by sophomore Victoria Watkins (Douglas, MA) just 2:44 into the frame. O'Rourke notched her program-record breaking 11th helper to tie for the LEC lead in assists.
Following two unsuccessful penalty corners by the Blue and Gold, the AMCATS made things interesting when junior Nichole Lowe (Saugus, MA) potted her eighth marker of the season from Dalbec four minutes later to make the score 3-2.
Moments after the tally, Anna Maria was awarded a penalty corner and nearly threatened to knot things up, but Carpenter rejected a high shot to keep the hosts at bay.
The AMCATs had one more chance to score the equalizer in the waning moments of the contest, however, Carpenter stopped the ball in its tracks and rejected the ball out of bounds to preserve the one-goal margin.
Worcester State finished with the 16-89 lead in shots and the 9-8 edge in corners.
Senior Allison Romano (E. Bridgewater, MA) collected a trio of saves for the Blue and Gold in 35 minutes of action. WSU left the net empty for the duration of the final stanza. Breen turned aside eight shots between the pipes for the AMCATS.
Both squads will host conference opponents on Saturday. The Lancers host Fitchburg State at 10 AM while Anna Maria entertains Daniel Webster at noon.
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