Worcester State Slips Past Field Hockey 1-0
Worcester, Mass. - Sophomore Julie O'Rourke's (Worcester, Mass.) unassisted marker with 46:42 on the clock stood up as the match clincher to help Worcester State defeat Framingham State, 1-0, in Little East Conference field hockey action this morning at Coughlin Field.
With the win the Lancers improve their mark to 5-1 overall (1-1 LEC) while the Rams slip to 4-2 (0-2 LEC).
O'Rourke originally had several chances to break the scoreless game after 20 minutes had elapsed in the contest, but her consecutive bids at point blank range were stopped by Ram freshman Sarah Place (Auburn, Mass.).
Five minutes later, Framingham State nearly potted the crucial blow, but sophomore Alina Willing's (Natick, Mass.) cross from the right side was too much for senior Kaitlyn Ranieri (Bellingham, Mass.) to handle in front of the open cage.
As time ticked off the clock in the waning seconds of the opening frame, FSU sophomore Cady Kelly (Canton, Mass.) delivered a beautiful pass through the defense to an open Ranieri, but her breakaway bid was broken up by the Lancer defense.
O'Rourke continued to pressure the Rams defense around the 40:00 minute mark in the second period when she fired a rocket from the right side of the apron, but senior Brittany Goben (New Bedford, Mass.) put her stick up to stop the ball in its path for her second defensive save of the campaign.
O'Rourke finally found the back of the net six minutes later after she followed through on her own rebound after a blocked shot by the defense.
The Lancer back line that included senior Katherine Bitters (Greenfield, Mass.), junior Jordan Childs (Attleboro, Mass.) and sophomore Megan Ripke (Southwick, Mass.) did not allow the Rams to get off a shot in the second period.
Bitters preserved a scoreless game in the 17th minute off a wide open shot by junior Rhea Urbaniak (Chelmsford, Mass.) with her first defensive stop of the season and fifth of her career.
Worcester State finished with the 18-3 lead in shots (11-3 on goal) while Framingham State held the 7-6 edge in corners – including a 4-1 margin in the final stanza.
Senior Allison Romano (E. Bridgewater, Mass.) stopped two shots for the Lancers while Palace recorded nine saves in the setback.
Both squads return to non-conference action next week. The Blue and Gold head to Becker on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. meeting, while the Rams host Roger Williams at 4 p.m. on Thursday.