WESTFIELD, Mass. – Ashley Malmquist (Braintree, Mass.) scored the game winning goal in the second overtime period to lift #3 Framingham State to 2-1 win over #2 Westfield State in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference field hockey semifinals at Alumni Field on Friday afternoon.
With the win, Framingham State advances to Sunday's championship game, where they would either travel to top seed Worcester State or host #4 Salem State, depending on the outcome of today's later second semifinal round game.
Malmquist redirected a shot from Isabella Kondi (Canaan, NH/Mascoma) off of a penalty corner in the second 7 v 7 golden goal overtime.
Malmquist was the inserter on the play from the left side of the goal. Her pass went to Angelina Serra (N. Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) at the top of the scoring circle, and Serra slid a pass left to Kondi, who stepped into a shot from the right side about 15 yards out. Kondi's shot slipped through all the traffic and Malmquist scored the winner at the left post.
Westfield's season comes to an end with a 12-8 overall record. The Owls matched the school record for wins this season. Framingham improves to 11-9 overall.
Westfield scored the first goal of the match in the 21st minute, as Shannon Gover (Norwood, Mass.) fed a long pass into the circle that was gatherered by Taylor Creech (Kennebunk, Maine). Creech wheeled and fired a right handed shot past Rams netminder Kaitlyn Tello (Nashua, NH/South) for a 1-0 lead.
Framingham leveled the game less than four minutes later, as the Rams' Kaitlin Loughlin (Ashland, Mass.) scored on a rebound of a shot after a penalty corner. The Rams had two shots in rapid succession, which were saved by Owls senior goalkeeper Paige Reisman before the third shot finally beat her.
The two teams dueled through a scoreless second half.
Westfield seemed to have the better of the attacking play, and had several shots go just wide in regulation and one early in the first overtime period.
Framingham generated the game winning play as Kondi attacked down the middle of the field off the initial back pass, using another attacking player as a shield before Kondi carried the ball into the circle and the penalty corner was called.
Westfield had a 20-9 edge in total shots, and a 7-3 margin in penalty corners.
Tello finished with five saves for Framingham, including a pair in the first overtime period. Reisman finished with two saves for the Owls.