WORCESTER, Mass. –  Despite a strong second half by Worcester State, the Western Connecticut State University women's soccer team extended their winning streak to 10 and remain undefeated as the Colonials edged Worcester State by a score of 2-1 Wednesday evening under the lights.

THE BASICS

September 27, 2017
Coughlin Field
Score: Western Connecticut 2, Worcester State 1
Records: Western Connecticut (10-0), Worcester State (5-3-2)

1^ST HALF

Following a long shot put on net by Western Connecticut's Morgan Hartmayer (Ridgefield, Conn.), the Colonials gained control of the ball and Andrea DeVoe (Farmington, Conn.) connected with Aileen Maloney (Trumbull, Conn.) for the first goal of the game. The visitors added to their lead just four minutes later when DeVoe launched the ball from the right side into the box, finding the head of Jenna Gentile (Norwalk, Conn.) for the 2-0 advantage.

2^ND HALF

The Lancers were fierce in the second half and kept the ball in their offensive zone, firing off 15 shots in the frame (seven shots on goal). Despite three shots that hit the post in the first 20 minutes of the stanza, Worcester State's Tsara LeBlanc (Gardner, Mass.) saw two back-to-back shots on net, one of which slid past freshman goaltender, Alexis Lainchbury (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) in the 85^th minute to cut the Colonials' lead in half (2-1). The Lancers put up a fight in the last five minutes of play and awed the crowd with a free kick shot from Worcester's Maddie Fong (Norton, Mass.) that bounced off the crossbar in the 87^th minute. Western Connecticut controlled the play in the last three minutes, sealing the 2-1 victory for their 10^th consecutive win of the season.  

BY THE BOOK

• Maloney tallied her fifth goal of the season, while Gentile recorded her second. DeVoe tallied two helpers in the win, and now leads the team with six on the season.
• Autumn Sorice (Bethel, Conn.) guided the Colonials offense as she led her team in shots (8) and shots on goal (3).
• Western Connecticut's netminder, Lainchbury, tallied seven saves in the win, and improves to 2-0 on the season.
• Worcester State's rookie goaltender, Jill Zinkus (Grafton, Mass.), suffered the loss, however posted a .800 save percentage as she stopped eight in the 90-minute performance.
• For the Lancers, LeBlanc scored her first goal of the season, while Kaitlin Beluzo (East Longmeadow, Mass.) earned team-high honors with four shots. Nikki DiPilla (Sterling, Mass.) followed with three shots – all of which were on goal.
• Western Connecticut outshot the Lancers by a 10-2 advantage in the first half. However, Worcester State's second half fury attained them a 15-8 edge in shots in the final stanza.
• The Colonials held a 5-1 margin in corner kicks (3-0 in the second half).

UP NEXT

Both teams resume play on Saturday (Sep. 30) as the Lancers host Westfield State at 5 p.m. and the Colonials look to extend their 10-game winning streak at UMass Dartmouth.

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