Blair Smith leaps in celebration of her game-winning overtime goal against Bridgewater State in the Owls’ 12-11 win on Tuesday night. (Courtesy of Westfield State Sports)
WESTFIELD – Westfield State senior captain Blair Smith (Milford, Mass.) ripped a shot from 10 yards out with 1:10 left in overtime to lead Westfield State past Bridgewater State, 12-11 in a critical battle for the top spot in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference standings at Alumni Field on Tuesday night.
Smith’s shot from the right side accounted for her third goal of the evening, and helped Westfield extract a measure of revenge for an overtime loss to the Bears in last season’s MASCAC title game.
Westfield improves to 10-4 on the season and 3-1 in the MASCAC; Bridgewater falls to 7-5 overall and 3-1 in the league.
The two teams were evenly matched throughout the game. Westfield State managed early leads of 2-0, 3-1 and 4-3, but Bridgewater tied the game at 4-4 on a free position shot by Lauren Geary (Hull, Mass.) and took a 7-5 lead into the half after another Geary goal with 2:31 left in the half.
Roni Orcutt scores the game-tying goal late in the second half to force overtime
against Bridgewater State. Westfield won, 12-11 in OT. (Courtesy of Westfield State Sports)
The Bears held a 9-7 lead after Alex King (Weymouth/North Weymouth, Mass.) scored with 18:36 left in regulation, but Westfield answered with a goal from Sydney Lambert (Hanover, Mass.) as she drove to the cage with 16:54 to play, then 30 seconds later fed Samantha Coyle (Weymouth, Mass.) for a game-tying tally.
King gave the Bears an 11-10 lead when Melissa Renauld (Framingham, Mass.) fed her from the left side and King’s sidewinder of a shot snuck inside the far post with 5:26 left.
Westfield got the equalizer with 3:04 to play as Roni Orcutt (Westfield/Granville, Mass.) leapt to fire a shot over Bears’ goalkeeper Allie Forman (Marblehead, Mass.) and just under the crossbar to force overtime at 11-all.
Both teams had chances to win it in overtime. Westfield got an early chance as Samantha Lungarini (Agawam, Mass.) broke in on goal, only to be thwarted by Forman.
Elizabeth Ettridge (Marshfield, Mass.) was awarded a free position shot for the Bears, but Westfield goalkeeper Mimi Khampaeng (Minnechaug/Hampden, Mass.) came up with a save.
Westfield’s Smith hit a pipe on a free position shot about a minute before she netted the game-winner.
Smith and Orcutt led Westfield State with three goals apiece. Geary tallied three goals and an assist for the Bears. Bridgewater’s Forman made 11 saves to Khampaeng’s five. – Courtesy of Westfield State Sports
