Jullys Souza Jr
Staff Writer
Wsoc Host Wentworth in a Draw at Elliot
On Wednesday, September 25th, the women’s soccer team of Fitchburg State hosted the Wentworth Institute of Technology Leopards in a match that resulted in a 1-1 draw. The Falcons’ picked up their first tie of the season and their first non-loss to an out of conference opponent.
The first half of the match was a tough fight for the Falcons since Wentworth was on the attack for the majority of the half with thirteen total shots to Fitchburg’s one. Thanks to sophomore goalkeeper Madison Dawkins, no goals were allowed as she saved the four shots that were on goal. The first half ended nil to nil.
The aggressiveness from Wentworth must have sparked some sort of inspiration in the Falcon’s mind because not even ten minutes into the second half of the match, they scored the first goal of the game by Noelle Kennedy. The Falcons’ lone goal came from the sophomore midfielder at the 52 minute mark. She scored when fellow sophomore midfielder Stella Liebler switched the field over to her on a cross and Kennedy followed up her first shot that was deflected with a precise strike into the left corner of the net.
About fifteen minutes after Fitchburg’s goal, the Leopard’s goal was finished by Brianna Reid, a sophomore defender who scored in the 68th minute. Rachel Hagerty, a freshman center back, assisted Reid’s goal. After this goal, Wentworth saw an opportunity to try to gain some traction and score again. But Fitchburg’s defense and substitute goalkeeper, sophomore Cassandra Pendleton, stood tall against more relentless pressure from the Leopards who tallied a whopping fifteen shots in the half. Wentworth could not find the back of the net before time expired and the Falcons were surely grateful to come out of the match with a draw.
The Falcons have struggled mightily against non-conference opponents on the season, losing six out of their seven games with this being their only tie. They have seemed to have had difficulty scoring in these games, as Kennedy’s goal in this match was their only one in such matchups. While the offense has had their troubles up front, the defense has not been much of a help as they’ve allowed 26 total goals in these seven games, which is nearly a rate of 4 per game. Luckily these early out of conference matchups will not affect their playoff aspirations, as they look to put up a strong showing in MASCAC games to close out the rest of the year.
