WORCESTER, Mass. – Westfield State's senior defender, Katy Knight (Woburn, Mass.) scored the Owls game-winning goal against the Worcester State University Lancers to entitle Westfield State to the 2015 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Tournament Champions in a battle between the No. 1 seeded Lancers, and the No. 2 seeded Owls. Knight was named the tournament MVP for her goal that edged the Owls 1-0 over the Lancers.
Westfield State took the first shot of the game, as junior midfielder, Kate Matroni (Hampden, Mass.) fired the ball from about 30-yards out, only to hit the crossbar and keep the score staged at zero.
Worcester State reacted to the Owls with a couple of their own opportunities. About 11 minutes in, the Lancers' freshman forward, Nikki DiPilla (Sterling, Mass.), had a one-versus-one against Westfield's goalie, Anne Stack (E. Longmeadow, Mass.), from where junior midfielder, Sarah Kane (Sutton, Mass.), shot the ball off the deflection and hit the crossbar.
Just before halftime, in the 41st minute, the Owls had control of the ball, and put the pressure on Worcester State's defense. The ball bounced around in Worcester's back end, eventually leaving an open spot for Knight to slam the ball into the top center of the net from about 25-yards out, scoring the game-winning goal.
The first half was equal in possession by each team, but the second half was surely in Westfield's favor as they outshot Worcester State 7-2 and had a 2-1 corner kick advantage.
Westfield State's Stack registered the win for the Owls in her first half performance. Freshman Natalia Falcone (Sutton, Mass.) came in for Westfield State in the second half, only to face one shot on goal for a save. Worcester State's goaltender, Jillian Witkowski (Leicester, Mass.) played the full 90 minutes for the Lancers and tallied up four saves on the afternoon.
The regular season champions, Worcester State, conclude their 2015 season with an 11-6-2 record, and an undefeated 6-0-1 MASCAC record in regular season play. The Westfield State tournament champions complete their season with a 10-6-3 record, and a 5-1-1 record in MASCAC play.