Field Hockey Trumps Salem State on Senior Day

Framingham, Mass. – Sophomore Alina Willing's (Natick, Mass.) goal late in the first half proved to be the difference as the Framingham State University field hockey team edged visiting Salem State in a Little East Conference (LEC) contest on Saturday morning at Maple Street Field.

Willing capped off a three-minute scoring outburst by both teams when she lifted the ball past the Viking goalkeeper with 8:08 showing on the scoreboard. Moments earlier Salem State freshman Kate Pietrini (Beverly, Mass.) lifted a feed from senior Lauren Pazdziorny (Middleton, Mass.) over the host netminder to even the game at 1-1. Senior Kaitlyn Ranieri (Bellingham, Mass.) broke the ice in the 24th minute when she knocked home a rebound for the initial Framingham State lead.

Prior to Ranieri's tally, the game featured a two shots – one on goal – and three penalty corners. The Rams held a 5-3 margin in shots and a 4-2 advantage in penalty corners at the break. After the intermission, Framingham State outshot the Vikings 3-1 while Salem State took five of the seven shots in the second half.

Freshman goalkeeper Sarah Palace (Auburn, Mass.) stopped two shots for the hosts while senior Michaela Boyer (South Hadley, Mass.) was called upon to make collect save.

Seniors from both teams were presented flowers while Ranieri, Casey Taylor (Littleton, Mass.), Brittany Goben (New Bedford, Mass.) and Cassandra Koegel (Groveland, Mass.) received recognition for contributions to Framingham State Athletics and the field hockey program prior to the match.

Framingham State concludes the regular season with a 9-9 overall record and a 3-8 ledger in LEC play. The Vikings (8-9, 5-6 LEC) will be on the road on Tuesday for a 2013 Little East Field Hockey Tournament Championship quarterfinal round matchup.