WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester State University Lancers women's soccer team captured the 2015 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Women's Soccer regular season title and a first round bye in the upcoming MASCAC Post Season Tournament as they defeated the Bridgewater State Bears 4-1 Saturday (Oct. 31) afternoon at John F. Coughlin Memorial Field.
With the win, the Worcester State Lancers conclude their season with a 10-5-2 record and end their regular season unbeaten in MASCAC play at 6-0-1.The Bridgewater State Bears fall to a 9-7-1 record and 5-2 in the MASCAC.
The Lancers took control of the game in the second half for a 4-1 win over the Bears. Worcester State's Tsara LeBlanc (Gardner, Mass.) Alicia Macomber (Stoughton, Mass.), and Nikki DiPilla (Sterling, MA) scored for the Lancers in the second half.
In the first half of play, neither team showed any overpowering offense, as possession was passed back and forth between teams. Worcester State out-shot Bridgewater 5-3 in the first half, but neither team was able to capitalize on the few shots taken.
The Lancers claimed the second half as theirs, outshooting Bridgewater 12-6. Just over five minutes into the second half, Worcester State's Macomber headed the ball to teammate LeBlanc, who then beat a Bridgewater defender and drove the ball into the back corner of the net in the 51st minute. Less than five minutes later, Macomber carried the ball down the middle, rushing past Bridgewater defenders and scoring at 55:01 giving the Lancer's a 2-0 lead. At 63:20, receiving a pass from teammate Alicia Macomber, DiPilla capitalized and netted the ball from 10 yards out on a one-touch kick into the goal. Macomber's second goal for the game was scored in the 75th minute, again as she carried the ball down the middle of the field past Bridgewater defenders.
Bridgewater State did not go down without a fight, as Carolyn Sessler (Plymouth, Mass.) followed an initial blocked shot firing the ball which hit the post but stayed on track to go into the back of the net.
Senior Jillian Witkowski (Leicester, Mass.) made four saves for the day and improves to 9-3-2 on the season. Lauren DeSousa (Taunton, Mass.) recorded 5 saves for the day and drops to 9-7.
The Lancers will advance to the MASCAC Tournament as the first seed, and will take on the winner of a quarterfinal game. The tournament bracket can be found HERE
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