WORCESTER, Mass. – Worcester State University's dynamic duo of Michaila Parent (Westborough, Mass.) and Olivia Antonelli (Westford, Mass.) assisted in the Lancers' 2-1 Little East Conference (LEC) win over Bridgewater State Wednesday night as each registered both a goal and an assist apiece.
"Liv and Michaila came up big for us tonight and finally found each other," commented interim head coach Alexa Carlson. "They make great decisions in high-pressure situations".
The first half of play showed to be defensive for each team, until Parent received a great pass on a breakaway from Antonelli in the 23rd minute to put the Lancers ahead 1-0.
Second half play got the crowd on the edge of their seats with fantastic shooting, highlight saves from both netminders and exciting back-and-fourth play.
Bridgewater's Brittany Cullinane (Lunenberg, Ma) struck first in the second half, firing a shot from far out that sounded like it shattered the cage, tying the game up 1-1.
Soon after, the Lancer's duo of Antonelli and Parent found each other again through the clutter in the Bear's zone. Parent made a spot-on pass to Antonelli who clocked the ball into the net to put the Lancers up 2-1 just seconds after the Bears knotted the score at one.
With under two minutes remaining in the game, Bridegwater's Cullinane received the opportunity to tie the game for her team with a penalty stroke. She wound up but fired wide-left, causing cheering from the home team, and frustration from the visitors.
In total, Cullinane had seven shots in the game, being a major factor for Bridegwater.
Senior Captain Alli Baker (Somerset, Ma) led the defense for the Lancers, making two defensive saves putting her body on the line for her team.
Lancer goalie Kathryn Salemme (Acton, Ma) defended six shots on net, making a few diving pad saves to keep her team winning. On the visitor's end, Allison Chappell (Raynham, Mass.) suffered the loss as she marked a 10-save performance on the night.
Carlson stated, "Tonight was a real team effort. With two conference matchups, we knew going into this week we had to bring our A game. Tonight's win gives us a ton of momentum going into Saturday's game against Plymouth."
The Lancers (6-4, 4-1 LEC) return to LEC action on Saturday (Oct. 1) when they face Plymouth State on their turf for a 1:00 p.m. game. The Bears (5-3, 3-3 LEC) also resume play then when they travel to Keene State for a 1:30 p.m. matchup.
Release Courtesy of Worcester State Sports Information Interns | Bobby Costanzo and Dan Reidy