BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Four different players scored for the Westfield State University field hockey team as the visiting Owls posted a 4-1 Little East Conference victory over Bridgewater State University on Tuesday night at Swenson Field.
The Owls improve to 4-4 on the season with the win and 1-3 in the Little East, while the host Bears slip to 4-5 overall and 2-2 in conference play.
The Bears opened the scoring less than six minutes into the contest as junior midfielder Emily Mosca (Dedham, Mass.) tucked a shot inside the right post off an assist from junior forward Kelsey Kiely (Mansfield, Mass.). Kiely set up the goal as she slipped a pass from directly in front of the net to Mosca who was stationed by the right post.
The Owls tied it with 2:34 remaining in the opening stanza as senior defender Kelsey Carpenter (Barre, Mass.) blasted home a shot from just inside the circle.
The teams headed to the intermission with the score knotted at 1-1.
Junior midfielder Allison Lucenta (Natick, Mass.) broke the deadlock in the 41st minute off a penalty corner. Junior forward Emily Williams (Deerfield, Mass.) picked up the assist with the entry pass off the corner.
Sophomore forward Holly Brouillette (Burlington, Mass.) made it 3-1 game in the 47th minute as she scored off a scramble in front of the net with sophomore forward Meg Doherty (Mansfield, Mass.) registering the assist.
A breakaway goal by senior forward Kelly Kenney (Suffield, Conn.) set up by freshman forward Megan Evans (Enfield, Conn.) in the 56th minute put the finishing touches on the win for the Owls.
The Bears best scoring opportunity in the second half came on a penalty shot with just over four minutes remaining in regulation. However, Westfield sophomore keeper Alanah Melanson (Chelmsford, Mass.) made a great blocker save on a shot labeled for the right side of the net to preserve the three-goal advantage.
The Owls held an 18-9 shot advantage for the game. Melanson picked up the win between the pipes for Westfield as she came on to start the second half in relief of classmate Megan Fountaine (Scituate, Mass.). Melanson notched two saves while Fountaine recorded three. BSU sophomore netminder Kaylyn Allahyarian (Norwell, Mass.) turned aside nine shots in the setback.
The Bears entertain non-conference foe Anna Maria College on Thursday night at seven. The Owls travel to the University of Southern Maine on Saturday afternoon for a 2:30 Little East match-up with the Huskies.