WORCESTER, Mass. – After being down 2-0 in the first 20 minutes of the game, Worcester State University's offense seized the win as they scored three back-to-back goals in a 10-minute stanza to claim the victory over the vising Clark University Cougars in a Thursday night non-conference matchup.
Clark's Olivia Barksdale (Fort Washington, Md.) tallied the first goal of the game in the fifth minute as she dribbled past Worcester's defensive line and struck the ball from the right side of the field to the left side of the cage for the 1-0 go-ahead.
In the 18th minute, Barksdale struck again and pushed the ball to the front of the cage for Lauren Mackey (Dublin, N.H.) to tip past Worcester's goalkeeper, Kathryn Salemme (Acton, Mass.) for the 2-0 gain.
Worcester started their comeback in the 22nd minute when Worcester was awarded their second penalty stroke of the game. On the second attempt, Worcester's Hayley Sutherland (Tewksbury, Mass.) fired the shot to the top left corner, slipping past the Cougars' goalie, Gaby Deangelis (Bayville, N.Y.).
Just three minutes later, Jolane Thibault (Douglas, Mass.) dribbled through Clark's defenders on the right side, from where she was able to cross the ball just in front of the cage for Michaila Parent (Westborough, Mass.) to knock in to knot the score at 2-2.
Worcester State's Olivia Antonelli (Westford, Mass.) put the Lancers on top for the first time of the contest in the 32nd minute on an assist from Morgan Cooper (Fitchburg, Mass.), which in turn, proved to be the game-winning goal for the Blue and Gold.
The Lancers dominated the offensive front at they held a 15-4 shot advantage over the Cougars, and were granted 10 penalty corners while the Cougars only seized one opportunity in the second half.
Clark's Haley Mahan (Bedford, N.H.) and Mackey each registered a defensive save on the evening, while Deangelis recorded five saves in a 70-minute performance. For the Lancers, Salemme earned the win as she marked two saves on the evening.
The Lancers (8-4) are back in action on Saturday when they host Little East opponent, Fitchburg State, on their home turf at 10 a.m. The Cougars (5-7) also host on Saturday as they match up against NEWMAC opponent, MIT in a 12 noon game.