Allison Lucenta (17) and Emily Williams (22) on Senior Day. (Photo courtesy of Westfield State Sports)
WESTFIELD – Junior field hockey forward Nicole Burgess (Mountain Valley/ Mexico, ME) scored two goals as Plymouth State spoiled Westfield State’s Senior Day, 3-0, Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field.
The Panthers improve to 11-3, and remain in first place in the Little East Conference at 9-1. Westfield State drops to 7-8 overall, 5-5 in the LEC.
After a scoreless first half, Burgess broke the tie early in the second frame, taking a pass from sophomore midfielder Katie Martin (Harwood Union/ Waterbury Center, VT) at the top of the arc and beating Owls’ goalkeeper Megan Fountaine (Scituate/ Scituate, Mass.) for the goal.
Ten minutes later, freshman forward Kialah Reeder (Mascoma Valley/ Enfield, NH) smashed home a rebound that caromed wildly in front of the net after a blocked shot to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.
Westfield State peppered Plymouth with shots in the final 15 minutes, but couldn’t beat Panthers sophomore goalkeeper Alivia Bates (Pennsauken/ Pennsauken, N.J.). Owls’ junior forward Holly Brouillette (Burlington/ Burlington, Mass.) had two strong scoring chances in front of the net, but Bates saved both shots.
Burgess added her second goal with eight seconds remaining in the match, sliding past Fountaine with some nifty stick-work. She now ranks second in the LEC with 12 goals scored.
Bates made four saves to pick up her fifth shutout of the season, while Fountaine had five stops in the loss.
The Owls outshot Plymouth, 18-17, including an 8-6 advantage in penalty corners.
Prior to the Westfield’s two seniors—Allison Lucenta and Emily Williams– were recognized for their contributions to the program over the past four years.
The Owls look to rebound from the loss on Tuesday, October 27 when they head to Mount Holyoke for a 7 p.m. match.
