Worcester, MA --- Junior Julie O'Rourke (Worcester, MA/St. Peter-Marian) netted a first half penalty stroke and senior Jourdan Childs (Attleboro, MA) added a late insurance goal as Worcester State defeated Clark, 2-0, this evening in non-conference field hockey action at Coughlin Field.

The victory improves the Blue and Gold to 8-6 on the campaign while the cross town rival Cougars fall to 6-7. Tonight the Lancers wore pink in the pregame while also wearing colored socks throughout the contest in a "Play 4 The Cure" contest to raise money for breast cancer awareness and research.

Neither side could muster much offense in a defensive-minded affair that saw both sides keep possession around midfield. However, Worcester State was able to capitalize on their limited scoring opportunities.

O'Rourke got the scoring started with her ninth goal of the season at the 10:22 mark of the first half on a penalty stroke that she fired to the left corner past the goalie to take a 1-0 advantage The Lancers were awarded a penalty stroke following a tripping foul inside the Clark circle.

Worcester State had several chances in the second half to add to their slim margin, but were denied courtesy of a pair of key defensive saves by the Cougars.

Just under 15 minutes into the second half, senior Katelyn Abber (Dedham, MA) hit a strike toward net, however, her shot was stopped by junior Sarah Cramer (Wynnewood, PA) to preserve the narrow deficit.

Seven minutes later, junior Krissy Kenney (Rehoboth, MA) found space inside the circle following a penalty corner though senior Kiah Murphy (Westport, MA) was right there to turn the ball away.

The score remained locked at 1-0 until the final two minutes of regulation when Childs received a feed from senior Kelli McPherson (Mansfield, MA) at the top of the circle and hit one home just inside the left post for her first collegiate tally.

Clark's lone offensive opportunity came midway through the first half when Murphy had an open look at the top of the apron. WSU freshman goalie Kathryn Salemme (Boxboro, MA) had a good read on the ball and kicked it out of harm's way to preserve the one-goal margin for her only save of the contest..

Salemme registered her third shutout of the campaign as she improves to 8-6 on the season. Meanwhile, Cougars freshman goalkeeper Olivia Landry (Vestal, NY) collected two saves in the defeat and fell to 1-2 in her fifth appearance between the pipes.

The Lancers held an 8-1 advantage in shots and a 4-1 edge in shots on goal. They also maintained a 3-1 lead in penalty corners.

With her lone goal, O'Rourke moved into sole posession of tenth on the all-time scoring list as she has 22 tallies and 20 helpers to her credit.

Both teams get back to conference play later this week when Worcester State plays host to Little East Conference rival Westfield State on Friday evening at 7:00 PM to kick off homecoming and Clark travels to Wheaton College this Saturday at 1:00 PM in upcoming NEWMAC action.

Story by Michael Corso '12 - Sports Information Intern

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