WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State senior Madi Dufries (Leicester, Mass.) scored two goals and assisted on another to lead top-seeded Westfield to a 3-0 win over #4 seed Framingham State in the semifinals of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament at Alumni Field on Friday evening.
Westfield got on the board first when senior back Morgan Remington (Enfield, Conn.) made an overlapping run deep in the left corner, then served a perfect ball across the goal mouth to Dufries, who tapped it in at the back post for a 1-0 lead in the 49th minute.
Framingham battled throughout the game, as the Owls were unable to gain any distance on the Rams until late.
With about nine minutes left in regulation Westfield's Delaney Parker (Orange, Mass./Mahar) was tripped just outside the top of the penalty area to give the Owls a direct kick. Jaida Cochran (Middleboro, Mass.) blistered a high shot that Framingham goalkeeper Sarah Lutsic (Sandwich, Mass.) elevated to save.
Less than a minute later, Westfield State extended the lead to 2-0. Off an Owls throw in, Dufries used a back heel pass to Jenn Rennich (Bedford, Mass.), who centered the ball for Parker , who found the back of the net for her nation-leading 30th goal of the season on a shot with 8:27 left in regulation to give the Owls a 2-0 lead.
Dufries added her second goal late in the game when Rennich fed her on a free kick from the left side that skipped through the penalty area and Dufries slid into the back post to beat a Framingham defender and score the goal.
Rennich now has 17 assists on the season, adding to her own school record tally.
Westfield junior goalkeeper Lauryn Davis (Templeton, Mass./Quabbin) made two saves to earn the shutout for Westfield State, while Oskirko finished with nine saves and Lutsic three for Framingham.
For Framingham, Lutsic relieved freshman Jetta Oskirko (Lancaster, Mass./Nashoba) in goal with 19 minutes left in the game, with Oskirko returning to the match as a forward to try to bolster the Rams attack.
Westfield greeted Lutsic with back to back shots from Parker and Rennich in the first 90 seconds in goal, with Lutsic saving both shots.
Westfield controlled the run of play in the first half, outshooting the Rams 21-1, and holding a 9-1 edge in shots on goal. The Rams did their best to limit Parker, and the best chance for Westfield came very late in the half when senior Jenn Rennich chipped a shot over the head of Rams goalkeeper Oskirko but the shot carried just over the crossbar.
Westfield outshot the Rams 36-3 in the match and has a 6-0 advantage in corner kicks.
Westfield improves to 14-4-1 overall, while Framingham's season comes to an end at 5-12-2.
Westfield State advances to Sunday's championship game, where the Owls will host #2 Worcester State at noon at Alumni Field.
Worcester was a 3-2 winner over #3 Bridgewater in the other semifinal round game.