Battling the Blue, Lancers Fall 3-2

Worcester, MA- With the storm moving in quickly the Worcester State Field Hockey team moved up their game time versus Wellesley College to ensure four quarters of play could commence on Tuesday Night. The Lancers came out ready to wrap this game up with a quick start to the game as the team opted to forgo the traditional pregame routines to squeeze the game in.

The first quarter was a slow start for Worcester as they struggled to keep the ball out of their defensive end. Wellesley managed to find the back of the cage twice in the first quarter off seven shots on Worcester's goalkeeper Madison Ferrara. The Lancers were able to develop a bit of offensive momentum midway through the half with a shot by Karalyn Jones, but Wellesley keeper Kyra managed to wrap up the save and preserve the 2-0 lead.

Worcester came out ready to retaliate in the second quarter. They kicked off the pressure to force the ball into Wellesley's offensive circle, but the Blue managed to hold off the surge without sacrificing a shot in their defensive end. The pressure was too close for comfort though and Wellesey attempted to put together their own offensive attack, but the Lancer defense managed to quickly smother the attempt and transfer the ball down the opposite end. Zoe Athanasopoulos nabbed the ball from the midfield and carried it down into the circle where a quick passing sequence between teammates Madison Avilla and Jones, who saw the ball travel to the baseline where she sent the ball across the stroke to Carly Duff, who finished if off with a goal to the left corner. The lead, now cut in half, saw both teams battle back and forth for the remainder of half but the score remained 2-1 into the half.

Coming out of the half each team continued where they left off, getting some solid chances on the cage. Worcester had four opportunities on cage that drew the Wellesley keeper to the ground for a multitude of sliding saves but Worcester was unable to get one around her to tie up the game. During a quick shift in transition, Wellesley managed to settle the ball in Worcester's defensive circle where a shot from Sophia Sohigian just squeezed past Ferrara to extend the lead to two. Worcester State refused to concede and early in the fourth quarter a rebound recovery by Grace Adams brought the Lancers within one. For the remainder of the game the intensity was high as each team tried to capitalize in the circle, and the Lancers looked to tie it up. When the final horn blew, Wellesley managed to sneak away with the one goal after a final corner attempt in the waning seconds failed to find the back of the net.

Wellesley College now sits at 2-3 and will face off against Clark University on Saturday, while Worcester moves to 3-1 and will have a week off before travelling to Wheaton College on September 20 at 6:30pm.