Plymouth Tops Field Hockey; 3-1

New Hampton, N.H.- Sophomore Haley Wakefield (South Paris, Maine) scored twice in a span of 72 seconds to lead Plymouth State University to a 3-1 win over Framingham State University in a Little East Conference (LEC) field hockey game played at the New Hampton School on Friday night.

THE BASICS:                     

- Score:  Plymouth State 3, Framingham State 1

- Records:  Plymouth State Panthers 2-2 (2-0 LEC), Framingham State 1-2 (0-2 LEC)

- Location: New Hampton School – New Hampton, N.H.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Panthers controlled play through the first half but were unable to put a shot past senior Haley Duggan (Framingham, Mass.) as the game remained scoreless into the intermission.
• Wakefield finally broke through 5:46 into the second half. Junior Keeley Bartolini (Topsham, Maine) carried the ball across midfield before sending a long pass to freshman Jess Mezquita (Atkinson, N.H.). Mezquita fired a shot that was saved by Duggan, but Wakefield was there to clean up the rebound.
• Wakefield notched her third goal of the season just 72 seconds later. The 5-4 forward stole the ball at midfield, sprinted down the right side past a pair of Rams defenders and lifted a shot to the far post for a 2-0 lead.
• FSU cut the deficit in half at the 57:29 mark. With a crowd in front of the Panthers' goal, sophomore Kaitlin Burch (Douglas, Mass.) flipped a pass to junior Caitlin Baril (Lakeville, Mass.), whose shot snuck through the PSU goalkeeper.
• Freshman Shannon Ford (Bow, N.H.) restored the two-goal lead at the 68:16 mark. Off a restart, senior Patty Newhard (South Dennis, Mass.) pushed the ball to the near side post and Ford was able to redirect it past the FSU goalie to make it 3-1.
• Sophomore Meaghan Allard (Amherst, N.H.), in her first action of the season, made a number of strong defensive plays to break up the Framingham State attack. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Plymouth State outshot the Rams by an 18-6 margin, including 12-1 in an overpowering first half.
• Duggan made nine saves for Framingham State but fell to 0-1-0, while sophomore Jess Distler (Brookfield, N.H.) improved to 2-2-0 for the Panthers while making three stops.
• PSU held a 9-0 advantage in penalty corners during the first half, and a 10-4 edge for the game.
• The Panthers have won nine-straight games against Framingham State and lead the all-time series 18-2.
• After being held without a point through the team's first two games and into overtime of its third, Wakefield has erupted for three goals over the last 70:01 of game action. 

UP NEXT:

• PSU continues a stretch of four-straight home conference games on Wednesday (Sept. 19), when the Panthers host Fitchburg State at 6:00 p.m. at the New Hampton School.
• The Rams are also in action on Wednesday (Sept. 19), hosting UMass Dartmouth in an LEC showdown. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.

STAY CONNECTED:

• For the latest on Framingham State Athletics, follow the Rams via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

*Release courtesy of PSU sports information