BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The fifth seeded Westfield State University field hockey team coasted to a 5-1 victory over number four seed and host Bridgewater State University in quarterfinal round action of the 2011 Little East Conference Tournament.
Westfield (12-6) advances to the semifinal round and will take on top-seeded Keene State College on Friday. Keene blanked number eight seed Southern Maine, 7-0, earlier this afternoon. Bridgewater (12-6) will now await word on a potential ECAC Division III New England Tournament bid.
Although the Bears edged the Owls earlier this season, 2-1, in Westfield, it was the Owls who controlled play throughout this contest. Westfield held an 18-8 edge in shots and dominated play in the goal mouths.
Sophomore midfielder Danielle Grenon (Somerset, Mass.) scored twice for the Owls who also received goals from freshman defender Ashley Spindel (Mendon, Mass.), senior forward Jessi Gould (Canton, Mass.) and junior forward Liz Hall (Southwick, Mass.). Four of the five Westfield tallies were off rebounds as Bridgewater struggled to clear the ball out from in front of their own net.
Gould staked WSU to a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute with her team-leading 11th goal of the season off an assist from senior forward Jessica Donovan (Methuen, Mass.). Bridgewater State junior forward Shelby Farland (Fiskdale, Mass.) knotted the game at 1-1 just under ten minutes later as she dove and knocked home a loose ball over the goal line. For Farland, the goal marked her team-best 15th of the season.
Westfield however got a huge marker with just 2 ½ minutes left in the opening stanza as Spindel knocked home a rebound to give Westfield a lead they would not relinquish.
Hall made it a 3-1 game in the 49th minute and Grenon notched the final two goals to round out the scoring.
Westfield senior keeper Amanda McCarthy (Franklin, Mass.) turned aside three shots to post her 12th win of the season. BSU junior netminder Cassie Johansen (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) made ten saves between the pipes for the Bears.