Worcester, MA- After a tough grudge match this weekend that saw Worcester State Women's Soccer (2-5-1, 0-2) drop their conference battle to Westfield State, the Lancers will now step away from the conference fun and host Western Connecticut in a Tuesday night  battle.

Final

Worcester State: 1

West Conn.: 0

How it Happened:

Tonight's game started with an attack bang from Western Connecticut as Suzana Imetovski charged around the attacking zone distributing opportunities to hear forwards and this looked to result in an early scoring chance for the Wolves on a penalty kick awarded just five minutes into the game. Sophia Onek would go to the line for the penalty kick but a deep drill would ding off the left post and back into play for the Lancer's defense to clear the threat wide. This post save shifted the momentum off Western Connecticut and squarely into the Lancers court. 10 minutes into the half would see the first real threat from Worcester as a free kick attempt by sophomore Olivia Magierowski (Brimfield, MA) would nail her attempt the cross bar. But Magierowski was not anywhere near done on the day, as her second free kick attempt at the halfway point of the opening half would sail over the leaping arms of Gracen Regan to put Worcester up 1-0. The two teams would spend the remainder of the half trying to get a piece of the other on the field, and with just two minutes left the Wolves nearly tied it up but a diving save from sophomore Ella Gumienny (Douglas, MA) would secure Worcester's lead into the halftime break. 

The second half would start with high intensity on each side with the Lancers holding the lead but the Wolves feeling the offensive aggression in the opening minutes. Worcester's defense was stalwart though, knocking aside each and every chance Western Connecticut presented to them. As the initial surge of fresh half intensity settled into a tactical battle across the turf, the game moved into big hits and a busy midfield as each team looked for the breakthrough moment on the other. As seemed to be the pace of the game as the intensity rose, the 10 minute mark was crucial this time as Western Connecticut's Imetovski would look for the tying goal only to see the save bounce off the post and back into the Gumienny's hands. As the final minutes clicked away, the Wolves upped their pressure but Gumienny and the rock of her defense headed up by sophomore Jess Forbes (Pepperell, MA) would hold on in the bit of roller coaster ending to claim the 1-0 win.

Gumienny would claim the shut out on a 12 saver performance while Magierowski would lead the game with the game winner and three shots in the meeting.

What's Next:

The Lancers (3-4-1, 0-2) will have a few days off before they are back on Coughlin Field to welcome Fitchburg State on Saturday at 12pm.