Worcester, MA- after an early week road trip close to home, the Worcester State Field Hockey team (1-7, 1-2) journey to former Little East rivals the University of Southern Maine to kick start their winning ways and take a step away from conference play.

Final

Worcester State: 1

Southern Maine: 0

How it Happened:

The Lancers got off to a hot start when they grabbed a goal early from junior defender Maggie Nailor (Dartmouth, MA) for the 1-0 lead just seven minutes into the opening quarter after Worcester successfully worked their way into a corner opportunity. It was quiet for the Lancers attack after that quarter but senior goalie Madison Ferrera (Somerset, MA) would have 3 saves including a huge diving save preventing Southern Maine from grabbing the tying goal. 

The second quarter saw the Lancers kick back into the offensive attack matching the Huskies opportunity for opportunity, collecting corners and shots along the way, but they were unable to extend their lead into halftime. Worcester would claim four attempts in the first half to go along three corner chances.

Coming out of the break Worcester   Was again on the defensive in the Huskies attacking zone in the opening minutes but showed determination and played aggressive defense to hold the lead. The Lancers would maintain the one goal lead in spite of the constant presence of Southern Maine in the circle but Ferrera and the Worcester defense locked down each of the Huskies attempts.

The Lancer defense, arguably the best it's played on the road this season, continued to lock down the Huskies offense to try to win its first road game of the year. Worcester got two penalties late in the game but that did not slow down their presence on the field and played great on the corner defense and across the pitch to ensure their continued lead, claiming the road victory with a 1-0 win. 

Senior Natalya Morin (Barre, MA) who has been the lead on the Lancer attack ended the night with three shots on goal, while Nailor grabbed her second game winner of the season. Ferrara would claim the shutout on seven saves. 

What's Next:

After the brief time out of conference the Lancers (2-7, 1-2) remain on the road as they travel to Framingham State to a rematch of last year's MASCAC championship final that saw Worcester claim the 2-0 victory.