SALEM, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University women's soccer team scored five times in the second half as the visiting Bears opened Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference play with a convincing 6-0 shutout victory over Salem State University on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field.
Senior forward Michelle Belcher (Norton, Mass.) tallied a pair of goals and added an assist to lead the Bears who improve to 4-1-1 (0-0 MASCAC) on the 2022 campaign with their fourth straight win. The Vikings fall to 0-5 (0-0 MASCAC) on the season. Bridgewater State is 20-15-5 all-time versus the Viking. The two teams have met every season since BSU added women's soccer as a varsity sport in 1987.
Bridgewater led 1-0 at the break as Belcher scored off an assist from freshman forward Abigail Shea (Somerset, Mass.) in the 17th minute. The Bears outshot the Vikings, 19-0, over the first 45 minutes, but managed to get just the one goal past Salem netminder Lily Pfefferle (St. Paul, Minn.). Pfefferle made 13 saves in the opening stanza.
Bridgewater continued to dominate play in the second half. A penalty kick goal by junior midfielder Makenna Lessard (East Bridgewater, Mass.) and an unassisted tally by Belcher less than six minutes into the session quickly extended the lead to 3-0.
Goals by Shea, junior forward Stephanie Spear (Blackstone, Mass.) and senior forward Erin Clancey (Middletown, R.I.) roughly eight minutes apart midway through the second half put the game well out of reach. For Spear, the goal marked her first of the season.
Shea and Spear each recorded a goal and an assist.
The Bears finished with a decided 35-4 shot advantage for the game as well as a 7-3 edge in corner kick attempts.
BSU freshman goalkeeper Logan Levesque (Bristol, R.I.) was forced to make just two saves as she recorded her fourth straight win and third shutout of the season.
Pfefferle finished with 14 saves in 52 minutes of action. Freshman keeper Kelsey Francis (Peabody, Mass.) played the final 38 minutes and turned aside four shots.
In upcoming action, the Bears entertain Brandeis University on Tuesday night at seven, while the Vikings host Eastern Nazarene College on Thursday evening also at seven.
Notes: Belcher now has six goals and four assists for 16 points on the season as she leads the Bears in all three categories….Belcher now has 17 goals and ten assists for 44 points in 24 games over two seasons at BSU.