WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Plymouth State University women's soccer team fell to the Westfield State University Owls, 3-2, in a non-conference match on Alumni Field Tuesday afternoon.
The Panthers showed grit, coming from behind on two separate occasions on a highlight goal scored by sophomore
Olivia Howard (Berwick, Maine) in the 51st minute, and a late tally by freshman
Nevaeh Petruzzi (Newmarket, N.H). Sophomore
Emily Wilson (Salem, N.H.) recorded a point for the third consecutive game, assisting on the Petruzzi goal in the 86th minute.
All eyes now look to Friday, as Plymouth State will play in its final Little East Conference game against the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs – a game where a win will put the Panthers in a position to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2019 season.
Plymouth State falls to 5-8-3, as Westfield State improves to 10-6-1 on the season.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 2, Westfield State 3
- Plymouth State (5-8-3)
- Westfield State (10-6-1)
How it Happened:
- The Owls started with the momentum, pinning the Panthers back in their defensive half through the first fifteen minutes of play.
- Westfield State got on the scoresheet first in the 26th minute to put the Owls up 1-0.
- Play remained tight to close out the first half as the Owls carried the one goal lead into the locker room.
- Plymouth State took advantage of it's first opportunity of the second half six minutes in. Howard rifled a shot from outside of 30 yards to bring the game level (1-1).
- The Panthers nearly took the lead in the 65th minute on a point-blank shot that was stopped by the strong right hand of the Westfield goalkeeper as momentum started to shift towards PSU.
- Westfield State responded in the 76th minute to re-take the lead 2-1 on a looping ball that hit the crossbar and bounced straight down, but it was deemed to have crossed the goal line.
- The Owls put in their third tally with four minutes left to go up 3-1, appearing to seal the game.
- Plymouth State would not go away, scoring just seconds later to cut the deficit back to 3-2.
- Not enough time was left on the clock for the Panthers to come back a third time as time expired.
By the Numbers:
- Westfield State outshot the Panthers 26-12 in the contest.
- Both teams recorded seven corner kicks.
- Shots on goal were in Westfield State's favor, 12-8.
- PSU made eight saves to the Owl's six.
- The Panthers are now 0-5-1 head-to-head against the perennial MASCAC favorites.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State will have one final, regular season conference game at home on Friday (Oct. 27), as the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Corsairs will come to Arold Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
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