Falcons Outlast Vikings in MASCAC Quarterfinal Action
Fitchburg, Mass. – The third seeded Fitchburg State University women’s lacrosse team downed the sixth seeded Vikings of Salem State, 9-6 in quarterfinal action of the 2017 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) tournament at Elliot Field on Tuesday evening. With the win the Falcons improve to 11-7 and advances to the conference semifinals. The Vikings conclude the 2017 campaign at 5-12.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
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2 | 4 | 6 |
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5 | 4 | 9 |
Team Stats
Salem St.
| Game Statistics | Salem St. | Fitchburg St. |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 20 | 30 |
| Ground Balls | 27 | 30 |
| Saves | 15 | 13 |
| Clears | 9-14 | 7-14 |
| Turnovers | 21 | 17 |
| Draw Controls | 8 | 8 |
| Free Position Shots | 1-2 | 2-7 |
Fitchburg Advances to the MASCAC Semifinal
Fitchburg will travel to the #1 seed Bridgewater State Bears on Thursday evening for the semifinal match, action will begin at 6:00 PM.
The Falcons were paced by junior Carrie Long, senior Ali Laferriere and junior Lia Crutchfield. Long's stat line read 2 goals, one assist, six groundballs and 6 caused turnovers. Laferriere had four points (2 goals, 2 assists) with two groundballs, while Crutchfield combed the backline with five groundballs, one caused turnover and a tally.
Salem was led by junior attacker Bridget Lawless and junior Courtney Smith. Lawless had a game-high three goals, and a groundball while Smith had a pair of markers. Senior Carolyn Woodin anchored the Viking defense with five groundballs, a pair of caused turnovers and a helper.
Fitchburg State opened the scoring with a man-up goal from Long before the Vikings responded with the 41st goal if the season from Smith to knot the score. The Falcons poured in four straight off four different sticks to push the lead to 5-1. Laferriere, freshman Tracy Long and senior Andrea Comeau along with Crutchfield tipped the twine in the scoring spree. However, Lawless found the back of the net with no time remaining in the frame to cut the deficit to 5-2 at intermission.
After the break, C. Long converted a free position shot and Laferriere followed with another tally to increase the home advantage to 7-2 with 28 minutes to play. The Vikings tightened up on defense and outscored the Falcons 4-0 over a nine minute span to make it a one-goal game with nine to play.
Laferriere found an open Nicole Lee and Kayla Panek added a goal late to seal the victory (9-6) and advance to the MASCAC semifinals.
Throughout the contest, Fitchburg State finished with a 30-20 margin in shots and 30-27 advantage in ground balls. In goal, sophomore Marguerite Belcher stopped thirteen shots for the Falcons in the completer game effort, while freshman Karlie McLear made seven saves for the visitors in 60 minutes of work.
