FITCHBURG – Freshman forward Nicole Chretien tallied the lone marker of the game in the 50th minute of play as the Owls of Westfield State University defeated Fitchburg State, 1-0 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) women’s soccer action this evening at Elliot Field.
In the opening period of play, Westfield State nearly grabbed the lead in the 12th minute of play as Chretien fired back-to-back shots on frame, but Falcon goaltender Morgan Steele was able to turn aside both shots.
NICOLE CHRETIEN
Fitchburg States best scoring chance of the stanza came at the 21:56 mark when sophomore forward Whitney Mansfield headed a shot towards goal that Westfield State keeper Anne Stack was able to secure to preserve the 0-0 stalemate going into intermission.
Following the breAak, the Owls broke the 0-0 deadlock at the 49:28 mark as Chretien settle a cross from junior midfielder Nicole Gay on the right side of the net and deposited the ball inside the far post for her second marker on the season for the 1-0 margin.
The Falcons nearly knotted the score with just under four minutes remaining the contest as junior forward Victoria Floeck headed a ball on frame but Westfield State freshman defender Caitlin MacGregor deflected the ball off the goal line to secure the victory for the Owls.
Throughout the match, Westfield State controlled the offensive end, out shooting Fitchburg State 19-6, while also the corner were even at 2-2. Between the pipes, Steele concluded the game with eight saves for the Falcons in the complete game effort, while Stack stopped one shot for the Owls en-route to the clean sheet.
Fitchburg State (2-6-0, 0-2-0 MASCAC) will be in action again on Tuesday as it travels to Salve Regina University for a contest starting at 3:30 p.m. Westfield State (4-3-0, 2-0-0 MASCAC) visit Union College on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
