Connolly, Collins Each Score Four Goals in Rout of Salem, 13-1

SALEM, Mass. – Junior Cassidy Connolly (Woburn, Mass.) and first-year Hannah Collins (Niskayuna, N.Y.) scored four goals apiece as Westfield State cruised to a 13-1 victory over Salem State in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) match on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field in Salem, Mass. The Owls go to 6-5 and remain unbeaten in conference at 2-0. The Vikings slip to 3-6 and 0-2 in the MASCAC.

Connolly scored four of the games' first five goals, burying the opening goal and then scoring three goals in a span of a minute and 46 seconds to build a commanding five-goal lead with 5:19 remaining in the first quarter. Natalie DeMaio (Westwood, Mass.) tallied a man-up goal for the Owl's sixth goal of the quarter as the Owls held a 6-0 advantage at the end of one period. Westfield State continued their run into the second quarter, scoring three more unanswered goals to build a 9-0 halftime lead. The Owls scored nine goals on just 14 shot attempts in the half.

Westfield State opened the second half with four straight scores, including a pair by Collins, to pushed the lead to 13-0 with 5:05 left in the third quarter. Jenna Wells (Revere, Mass.) broke the string for the Vikings with a fourth quarter score, making the final 13-1.

DeMaio added two goals while Kiely Hafensteiner (Niskayuna, N.Y.), Ashley Charlton (Braintree, Mass.) and Cara Derby (Dedham, Mass.) rounded up the scoring with one goal each.

Sophomore goalkeeper Kara Banagan (Niskayuna, N.Y.) picked up her third straight win of the season after saving all five shots faced. Kaia Hollingsworth (Methuen, Mass.) stopped four shots for Salem State in the loss.   

Westfield State carries a three-game winning streak into their next match-up against Keene State in a non-conference game from Alumni Field in Westfield, Mass. on Wednesday at 7:00 P.M.

(Parts of release courtesy of Salem State sports information)