Worcester State Edges Salem State 2-1 in LEC Quarterfinals

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester State field hockey team was two minutes and fifty-five seconds away from being upset by the #7 seed Salem State Vikings, but the second-seeded Lancers scored twice before the end of regulation to clinch a dramatic 2-1 victory in Little East Conference (LEC) quarterfinals action on Tuesday night at Coughlin Field.

Karalyn Jones (Wilbraham, Mass.) scored her ninth goal of the season with 31 seconds to play to deliver the victory for the Lancers after Worcester State had trailed for more than a half and furiously chased the game with extended possession in the Vikings' end.

The winning goal came on the break, as Emily Floury (Warren, Mass.) unselfishly fed Jones while taking away the reach of Salem State goalie Kelli McCarthy (Foxborough, Mass.), who stood on her head all night, making 9 saves and keeping the visitors ahead time after time.

Salem State had gained the lead in the 25^th minute when Melanie Mason (Beverly, Mass.) converted a penalty shot for her sixth goal of the year. Mason is now 3-3 on the season on penalty shots, and she beat Madison Ferrara (Somerset, Mass.) with a rocket into the back of the cage.

From that moment on, Salem played inspired defense and withstood a barrage of Worcester State shots and penalty corners. The Lancers, after not earning a penalty corner in the first quarter, went on to attempt 24 of them, including 11 in the third and 7 in the fourth. They had a 23-8 edge in shots, including 17-1 over the final two periods.

Worcester finally broke through with 2:55 to play when Carly Duff (Warren, Mass.) tipped home a shot from Ann Maher (Mansfield, Mass.) for her tenth goal of the season.

That game will take place Thursday at 4:30 PM when Worcester hosts #3 seed Eastern Connecticut State for a spot in the LEC championship game.

Ferrara improves to 7-2 in her first season after making three saves in the cage for Worcester.

Salem sees their season come to an end with a record of 8-10, including a 6-6 LEC mark.

(Courtesy Worcester State Sports Information)