WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester State University women's soccer team shutout the visiting Fitchburg State University Falcons 6-0 in Saturday afternoon's Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) contest at Coughlin Field with Sterling Cup implications.
The Lancer remain unbeaten in MASCAC play as they improve to 3-0 in conference and 4-5 overall. With the loss, the Falcons dip to 3-7 overall, and 1-2 in the conference.
The first goal of the game came in the 23rd minute when Worcester State was allotted a free kick 40 yards out. Worcester's Nicole Parenteau (Chicopee, Mass.) took the kick and arced the ball for Jenna Martin (Salem, N.H.) to flick the ball into the net for her first goal of the season.
Four minutes later, Worcester struck again when sophomore Nikki DiPilla (Sterling, Mass.) dribbled down the left side of the field and beat her defenders to up the score to 2-0 before the half. In the first half, Worcester State held a heavy 8-3 shot advantage and a 6-0 margin on corner kicks.
Following the intermission, Worcester State's Tsara LeBLanc (Gardner, Mass.) scored two back-to-back goals to advance the score to 4-0. One goal was assisted by freshman Cate Farmer (Billerica, Mass.) and the other was scored with the help of Ashleigh Howland (Wilmington, Mass.).
Howland and DiPilla connected in the 68th minute to score another Lancer goal, as Howland marked her second assist of the game, and DiPilla registered her second goal of the contest.
With the clock winding down, Worcester State's freshman Hailie Young (Shirley, Mass.) setup classmate Skylar Alves (Ashburnham, Mass.) for the final goal of the game, resulting in the 6-0 victory for the Blue and Gold.
Worcester State's Vanessa O'Donnell (Worcester, Mass.) and Tori Trifone (Southbridge, Mass.) recorded a combined shutout, as O'Donnell faced four shots on goal. For the visiting Falcons, Alexandra Foster (Leominster, Mass.) suffered the loss as she notched six saves in 69 minutes of play. Shelby Gale (Rockport, Mass.) relieved Foster in the second half and tallied three saves in 21 minutes played.
Worcester State held the Falcons to just five shots throughout the game, compared to their 22. Fitchburg's shots came from Whiney Mansifeld (Lunenburg, Mass.), Micalea Goldenberg (Douglas, Mass.), Shalee Callahan (Pepperell, Mass.) and Victoria Floeck (E. Taunton, Mass.).
The Lancers hit the road on Thursday (Oct. 6) when they travel to Keene State for a non-conference matchup. The Falcons return to action on Tuesday (Oct. 4) as they travel to Nichols for non-conference action.