WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester State University women's soccer team blanked the visiting Keene State Owls 1-0 in a Tuesday evening matchup that saw remarkable defense and goalkeeping on each end of the field.

THE BASICS

October 3, 2017
Coughlin Field
Score: Worcester State 1, Keene State 0
Records: Worcester State (7-3-2) | Keene State (6-4)

1^ST HALF

Just 15:40 into the first half, Worcester State received a free kick 57 yards out from the goal. Worcester's senior defender, Justine Butler (Marlborough, Mass.) soared the ball into the air over the Keene defenders. Worcester State's leading scorer, Kaitlin Beluzo (East Longmeadow, Mass.) rushed to the arching ball and forced Keene's goaltender, Abbie Terrinca (Ludlow, Mass.) to come out of the goal to attempt a save. Beluzo got a foot on the ball and shot it past for the 1-0 advantage.

2^ND HALF

Both teams fought hard and battled in the second half. Keene State saw two scoring opportunities off free kicks from Katie Silegy (Keene, N.H.) and Quinn Dorogi (West Boylston, Mass.) - one of which Worcester's Jill Zinkus (Grafton, Mass.) pushed up and over the crossbar for the save in the 66^th minute. The Owls found their last shot on net in the 73^rd minute despite holding possession of the ball for the majority of the second half. Worcester State concluded the contest with back-to-back shots from Tsara LeBlanc (Gardner, Mass.), and another set of shots from Maddie Fong (Norton, Mass.) and Beluzo in the last two minutes of regulation.

CRUNCH THE NUMBERS

• Beluzo tallied her seventh goal of the season in the win, while Butler picked up her first assist on the season.
• LeBlanc led the Lancers in the shooting category with five – four of which were on goal.
• Keene's State's attack was led by Taylor Farland (Fiskdale, Mass.) and Silegy who each logged three shots each.
• Worcester State's rookie, Zinkus, earned her fifth shutout of the season in a 7-save performance.
• Keene State's starting goalkeeper, Terrinca suffered the loss in 45 minutes played. Shelby Offord (Shelton, Conn.) came in relief in the second half and made five stops on net.
• Worcester State held a 22-12 shot advantage.
• The Owls held a 4-3 edge in corner kicks.
• The last time the Worcester State women's soccer team has beat Keene State was in 2011 (W, 3-1).

UP NEXT

Keene State returns to action on Thursday (Oct. 5) when they host Salve Regina in a 6 p.m. non-conference game. Both teams square up with conference opponents on Saturday (Oct. 7) as Keene travels to Plymouth State, and Worcester State hosts Bridgewater State.

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