Falcons Put End to Vikings' Season in Quarterfinals

FITCHBURG, Mass. – The fifth-seeded Salem State women's soccer team traveled to Fitchburg State this evening to face the fourth-seeded Falcons in the quarterfinals of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) women's soccer tournament. A single goal was all that separated the teams, as the Falcons edged out the Vikings 1-0 for the victory and semifinal berth. The Vikings finished their season with an overall record of 4-11-3 while going 2-3-2 in conference play.

How it Happened:

• Both teams came out aggressive in the first half, but it was the defenses that dominated. The Vikings took 12 shots to the Falcons' nine, but Fitchburg's goalkeeper Cassandra Pendleton (Ware, Mass.) denied all six shots on target. On the other end, Ava Guyer (East Granby, Conn.) turned away the two shots on goal, while her defense blocked three additional attempts, keeping the game scoreless as the game went into the break.
• The Falcons kept up their offensive pressure after halftime, but Ava Guyer remained strong, saving four more shots. In the 72nd minute, however, Fitchburg finally broke through as Stella Liebler (Plainville, Conn.) set up Delia Fitzgerald (Foxboro, Mass.) for the game's first goal, giving the Falcons a 1-0 lead.
• The Vikings controlled possession for the remainder of the game, attempting to equalize with shots on goal from Anna Frost (Ada, Mich.) and Brenna Paquette (Hudson, N.H.), but Pendleton made key saves to preserve the lead. In the final minute, Salem's last-ditch effort sailed high over the net, sealing a 1-0 victory for the Falcons and securing their spot in the MASCAC semifinals and bringing an end to Salem's season.

Inside the Numbers:

• Ava Guyer turned away six shots in the effort.
• Seniors Brenna Paquette and Sydney Durkin (Dracut, Mass.) capped off their senior campaigns as the team's leaders, with Paquette finishing as the top goal scorer (4) and Durkin leading in assists (4).
• The Vikings will graduate six seniors: Rebecca Callahan (Salem, Mass.), Brenna Paquette, Sydney Durkin, Jenna Thomas (Cumberland, R.I.), and Savannah Scrodin (Bristol, Vt.).