WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State's Cheryl Latona (Granby, Conn.) scored the lone goal of the match with 7:19 left in the game to give Westfield State a clutch 1-0 win Over Framingham State in Little East Conference field hockey at Alumni Field on Wednesday night.
Westfield improves to 7-2 in the Little East Conference and 8-7 overall. The Owls sit in second place in the league standings, one game back of Keene State. The two rivals will clash in the final game of the regular season.
Framingham dips to 4-10 overall and 1-9 in the Little East.
The Owls peppered the Framingham cage all night, but Framingham goalie Grace Pushor (Old Town, Maine) was up to the task, making 21 saves.
Westfield finally broke through on its 30th, and what proved to be final, shot of the game. On the penalty corner, Corryn Moroney (South Hadley, Mass.) pushed a pass towards the goal in heavy traffic, where Latona buried it at the left post. It was Latona's team-leading 10th goal of the season.
Westfield's defense held the fort at the other end of the field, with Bre Foley (South Hadley, Mass.) coming up with a defensive save in a late barrage from the Rams, Colleen Fellows (Auburn, Mass.) deflected a hard, lifted shot out of mid-air, and then Morgan Wichmann (Granby, Conn.) stole the ball from a Framingham attacker near the top of the circle with a minute left in regulation, and the Owls were able to run out the clock to preserve the victory.
Westfield State senior goalkeeper Riley Goulet (Marion, Mass. / Old Rochester) made four saves to earn the shutout, her third of the season.
The Owls will go on the road for a pair of still-critical league games, at Castleton State on Saturday, and then at Salem State on Tuesday, Oct. 26, before a potential showdown against Keene on Oct. 29.