Salem State Edges Fitchburg State, 1-0 (2OT)

Steele turns away seven shots for Falcons in season finale

Salem, Mass. – Leah Wood broke a scoreless tie in double overtime to lead Salem State past Fitchburg State 1-0 on "Senior Night" at Alumni Field on Friday evening. The win lifts the Vikings to 6-9-1 on the year and improves their Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference record to 3-4, while the Falcons slide to 3-14-1 and 1-5-1 in conference.

Wood scored with less than five minutes remaining in the second overtime as the senior forward collected a loose from 20 yards out and fired a shot into the upper left corner of the net for the game-winning tally.

In the first half of play, neither team generated many scoring chances. Salem State attempted just four shots on net while the Falcons managed just two shots in the first 45 minutes of play.

In the second stanza, the Falcons nearly dented the scoreboard midway when junior forward Victoria Floeck) rifled a shot from the left side from 12 yards out that sallied just wide of the right post. Five minutes later, Salem State's Alysha Brunelle, laced a shot that hit the bottom of the crossbar, but the ball did not cross the goal line and the game remained tied 0-0.

Vikings senior Kelly Birchmore's free kick in the first overtime was the only legitimate scoring chance by either side as Fitchburg State junior keeper Morgan Steele easily made the save, sending the game to a second overtime period; setting up Wood's game-winner.

Throughout the match, Salem State held a 10-6 advantage in shots, while limiting the Falcons to no corner kicks. In goal, Steele turned away seven shots for Fitchburg State in the complete game effort, while senior Melissa Toomy made two saves for the Vikings en-route to the clean sheet.

With the win, Salem State secured fifth place in the conference and will await their opponent in next week's MASCAC Post Season Tournament.

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