Worcester, MA --- Junior Danielle Clifford (Attleboro, MA) notched the game-winning goal in the 85th minute to help propel Worcester State to a 1-0 triumph over Bridgewater State in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) tournament final this afternoon at Coughlin Field.
With the win the Lancers improve their record to 10-5-4 and await word on Monday to see who they will play in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Blue and Gold capture their fifth MASCAC Tournament title since the competition started in 2000. The Bears end their season at 6-10-2 overall.
Play in the opening stanza was even as both teams had great opportunities to go up early, but they both drew to a 0-0 score at the intermission.
In the 17th minute Bridgewater State junior Amber LaPorte (New Hartford, CT) had a great look at the open net as WSU's keeper was away from the play, but LaPorte's attempt was kicked out of harm's way by senior Nikki Scott (Berlin, MA).
The Lancers then had back-to-back chances 60 seconds apart just before the 30 minute mark, but the bid by freshman Kathleen Smith (Rehoboth, MA) was stopped by Bridgewater State keeper Kayla Grover (Haverhill, MA) and the attempt by sophomore Brianne Beckman (Lakeville, MA) was just to the right of the right post.
Following the break, Bridgewater State had a golden opportunity with a free kick by senior Amanda Vigneault (Ludlow, MA) 15-yards away 1½ minutes into the second half, but the attempt was rejected by sophomore goalie Angieszaka Sychtysz (Warren, MA). After that the Bears had a trio of corner kick prospects, but the visitors did nothing to capitalize with their good fortune.
Over the next 20 minutes of game play the two team's battled back and forth, but good defense prevailed as neither team had a great chance to score from close range.
The Lancers then found a hole in the Bears back line when sophomore Mariah Messina (Tewksbury, MA) tossed a ball on the left side on a throw-in for Clifford who shot it in for the game-clinching tally. Clifford recorded her fifth marker of the season and second in as many games for tournament MVP honors.
BSU tried everything they could muster to score the equalizer – including two corner kicks - but the Worcester State defense did not allow another shot in the final five minutes of regulation.
The Blue and Gold outshot the visitors 13-7 while the Bears had a 5-4 lead in corners (5-3 in second half). The contest was also a physical one as the two teams accounted for 31 combined fouls.
Sychtysz collected three saves in the triumph as she improved her record to 3-0-1 while Grover registered five stops.