Foley's Fourth-Quarter Goal Lifts Owls Past Worcester State, 2-1

WESTFIELD, Mass. -  Westfield State senior defender Bre Foley (S. Hadley, Mass.) knocked in a rebound with 7:32 left in the game to lift Westfield State to a 2-1 win over Worcester State in a key Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference game at Alumni Field on Wednesday evening.

The Owls scored a minor upset over the Lancers, who were previously unbeaten in league play this season.   Westfield improves to 7-7 overall and 4-2 in the MASCAC, while Worcester is now 7-6 and 5-1 MASCAC.

The Lancers, picked to win the league in the preseason coaches' poll, had tipped the Owls in three straight games over the last two seasons, including knocking Westfield out of the conference tournament a year ago.

Westfield now sits alone in second place in the conference standings, one game behind Worcester, with four conference games left on the slate for both teams.

On the game-winning play, Westfield's Ashley D'Elia (Watertown, Conn.) fired a crossing pass from the right side on a penalty corner.  The Owls Taylor Creech (Kennebunk, Maine) slapped a shot in the middle of the goal mouth that was saved by Worcester 'keeper Sam Gastonguay (Ashburnham, Mass.), but Foley gathered the rebound near her station on the left post and flipped the ball in.

The game was very evenly played throughout.

Worcester got on the scoreboard first with goal from Charlotte McGregor off of a feed from Grace Adams on a penalty corner 7:32 into the second half.

Westfield equalized just 40 seconds into the fourth quarter, as Sadie Stauffer (Suffield, Conn.) batted home a blocked shot to tie the game at 1-1.

Foley came up big defensively late in the game, stymieing a Worcester counter attack with a good tackle at the edge of the scoring circle with about three minutes left in regulation.

Owls goalkeeper Emma Gniadek (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) made six saves in the win, including five in the fourth quarter to help preserve the win. In the third quarter Gniadek made a spectacular save, diving to the right post to deny Sophia Cavallo's (Northboro, Mass.) shot.

Madison Ferrera (Somerset, Mass.) kept Westfield off the scoreboard through three quarters, making a pair of saves, but the Owls got to Gastonguay for both tallies in the fourth quarter.

Worcester finished with a 14-8 advantage in total shots, and a 2-3 edge in penalty corners.

Westfield is right back in action on Friday night, hosting Fitchburg State in a 7:00 p.m. start as part of homecoming weekend.