Second Half Surge Propels Lancers Past Plymouth State in LEC Matchup

WORCESTER, Mass. – Worcester State University's Jolane Thibault (Douglas, Mass.) and Michaila Parent (Westborough, Mass.) led the way with a pair of second half goals to edge out Plymouth State in a clash of Little East Conference (LEC) heavy weights 2-1.

THE BASICS

October 7, 2017
Coughlin Field
Score: Worcester State 2, Plymouth State 1
Records: Worcester State (9-2, 7-0 LEC) | Plymouth State (8-3, 6-2 LEC)

1^ST HALF

Following a series of penalty corners for the Panthers in the first five minutes of play, Plymouth State started the scoring in the 7^th minute with a goal by Katie Martin (Waterbury Center, Vt.) off of a pass from Maddie Kabasakalian (Kent, Conn.). Worcester State had an opportunity late in the first half off a shot by Parent that was saved by senior netminder Alivia Bates (Pennsauken, N.J.). Plymouth State saw multiple opportunities to score off of penalty corners in the first half, ending the opening frame with six.

2^ND HALF

After a flurry of shots on goal, Thibault tied the game at 1-1 on a forward pass from teammate Katelyn Santos (Acushnet, Mass.) in the 55^th minute. The goal came with Plymouth State down a player due to a green card handed out on the turf. A second goal followed when Parent tallied her 10^th goal of the season off a goalie deflection succeeding a penalty corner. Worcester State held off the Plymouth State offense for the next six and a half minutes to preserve the 2-1 win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Thibault registered her sixth goal of the season, while Parent notched her 10^th and currently leads the team goals (10), assists (10), and points (30).
• Martin saw her fifth goal of the season for the Panthers.
• Worcester State faced 14 total shots on net in the game.  Kathryn Salemme (Boxborough, Mass.) had 12 saves for the Lancers, and Rachel Hopkins (Chelmsford, Mass.) chipped in with a defensive save for the Blue and Gold.
• Bates saved 12 of the 14 shots that she faced during the game.
• Plymouth State held the edge in both shots (22-19) and penalty corners (12-6).
• There were four total cards handed out in the game: three green cards, one yellow card.

COACHES CORNER

"Today was an absolute battle," commented head coach Alexa Carlson. "After eight days without a game, we came out slow in the first half but were able to find our groove in the second. It was a great team effort overall and we had a lot of different team members contribute to the win.

Carlson commented on each team's defense, "Plymouth's defense and goalkeeper were very strong so it took us some time to adjust and move the ball around them. Our defense was relentless and Kathryn (goalkeeper) was stellar in the cage today. It was a grid but we are happy to continue finding success in the LEC."

UP NEXT

On Tuesday (Oct. 10) the Lancers visit Bridgewater State in a Little East Conference clash, before heading over to Clark in a non-conference matchup on Thursday, (Oct. 12). Plymouth State returns to conference play on Tuesday (Oct. 10) when they host Salem State in a 7 p.m. tilt.

Release written by Nicholas Gendreau | Sports Information Intern