Worcester, MA --- Junior Alicia Macomber (Stoughton, MA) broke a 1-1 tie midway through the second half with a pair of goals in a 39 second span to help power Worcester State over Westfield State, 4-1, this afternoon in women's MASCAC soccer action at Coughlin Field.
The Lancers (11-3, 6-0 MASCAC) earned at least a share of the regular season MASCAC title as well as one of the top two seeds in the upcoming conference tournament. Meanwhile, the visiting Owls (10-3-2, 4-1-1 MASCAC) were handed their first conference loss in the setback.
On a day where both squads had numerous scoring chances, the Blue and Gold made the most of their opportunities despite being outshot, 14-9.
In the 10th minute, senior Kaleigh Evans (Saugus, MA) got the scoring started for the hosts when she took a feed from fellow classmate Alyssa Sawyer (W. Springfield, MA) near the top right side of the box before making one move past a defender and fired a low missile into the lower left corner of the net.
Evan's fifth tally of the season helped the Lancers stake the early 1-0 advantage.
Westfield State won the possession battle for the remainder of the opening half and held a 6-2 margin in shots. Worcester State keeper Jillian Witkowski (Leicester, MA) played well and helped the hosts maintain the one-goal advantage at the intermission.
In the 24th minute, a header by Owls senior Amanda Grant (Westfield, MA) following a corner kick nearly found the back of the net, but a Lancer defender was waiting at the goal line to clear the shot and keep the Blue and Gold ahead.
Westfield State finally broke through in the 57th minute when senior Ashleigh Chretien (N. Attleboro, MA) corralled a corner kick from Grant in the left side of the box and fired a rocket through traffic into the net to get the score knotted up at 1-1. The goal was her sixth of the campaign.
In the first 11 minutes of the second stanza, senior Sarah Sypek (Westhampton, MA) nearly tied up the score before, but Witkowski had a fingertip save on the right side of the net to set-up the key corner kick by the Owls.
Macomber netted the eventual game-winner in the 69th minute when she received a through pass from fellow junior Kiley Hardy (Pepperell, MA) and used her speed to break away from defenders before placing a low shot to the right post that slipped just underneath the goalie to give the Lancers the slim one goal advantage.
The Blue and Gold were not finished as they struck again just 39 seconds later with Macomber's team leading 13th tally of the season.
This time, Macomber received a pass from the left side by sophomore Kendal Bergenholtz (Grafton, MA) took a dribble to the right and lofted a shot from 25 yards out that rung off the right post and into the net.
Bergenholtz added some late insurance with her fifth goal of the season in the 76th minute that sealed the victory.
Witkowski was a stalwart between the pipes for the Lancers, stopping eight shots in the victory.
Westfield State sophomore Anne Stack (E. Longmeadow, MA) and freshman Leah Ciampa (Danvers, MA) combined to turn aside three shots in the losing effort. The visitors also held the 5-2 lead in corner kicks.
Evans and Sawyer along with classmates Shelby Archer (Dayville, CT), Margo Clifford (Attleboro, MA) and Sarina Lathrop (Hopedale, MA) were recognized on "Senior Day" by head coach Kevin Cumberbatch in a brief pregame ceremony.
Both squads take to the road against Little East Conference foes this Wednesday at 7 PM as Worcester State takes on UMass Dartmouth and Westfield State battles Keene State.
Story Written By Michael Corso 12'-- Sports Information Intern
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