Field Hockey Blanks West Conn in Conference Opener

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State sophomore Leah Pierce (Barnstable, Mass.) and junior Emily Martin (Southwick, Mass.) each scored a goal as the Owls shut out Western Connecticut 2-0 in the Little East Conference opener on Saturday afternoon from Danbury, Conn. Westfield (3-1, 1-0 LEC) picks up their third straight win of the season, and the Wolves suffer their second loss of the year in four games.

Martin put the Owls on the board at the 5:25 mark, tallying her seventh goal of the campaign off a feed from junior Skyla Harthcock (Martha's Vineyard, Mass.). Westfield extended the lead in the closing minutes of the second period as first-year Kaleigh Murphy (Pembroke, Mass.) found Pierce who deposited her second goal of the year to push the Owls lead to 2-0.

Westfield dominated the possession game, totaling 17 shots to the Wolves five. Also, for the second time this season, the Owls defense held an opponent without a shot on goal in part to the play of junior defender Morgan Wichmann (Granby, Conn.) who stabilized the back line. Westfield piled up nine shots on net of their own.

Owls goalkeeper Paige Reisman (Milford, Mass.) collected her third win of the season. West Conn goalie Kayla Hnasko (Raritan, N.J.) (L, 0-2) recorded eight saves in the losing decision.

Westfield State will continue their four-game road trip, travelling to Roger Williams for a mid-week matchup on Wednesday at 7:00 P.M. Western Connecticut will host Ramapo College on Wednesday at 4:00 P.M. in their next game.