Muratsuka Scores Twice, Owls Down Panthers 4-1

Westfield State junior Livie Crooks scored the game’s opening goal, then Kiana Muratsuka scored the next two as the Owls defeated Plymouth State 4-1 in a non-conference match from Plymouth, N.H. on Wednesday afternoon.

Westfield St.

9-3-4, 5-0-0

Plymouth St.

5-10-0, 2-5-0

Final

Westfield St. (9-3-4, 5-0-0)

Plymouth St. (5-10-0, 2-5-0)

Scoring Summary

1st - 13:13 - Livie Crooks (Westfield St.)

2nd - 59:02 - Kiana Muratsuka (Westfield St.)

2nd - 69:18 - Kiana Muratsuka (Westfield St.)

2nd - 79:58 - Molly Bellmore (Plymouth St.)

2nd - 87:22 - Delaney Parker (Westfield St.)

Game Leaders

Westfield St.

G: Kiana Muratsuka - 2

A: 3 Players (#5, #8, #10) - 1

Sh: Delaney Parker - 6

Sv: Kayla Santucci - 2

Plymouth St.

G: Molly Bellmore - 1

A: N/A

Sh: Molly Bellmore - 2

Sv: Christa Giansiracusa - 3

Team Stats

Westfield St.

Plymouth St.

Shots (on goal)

21 (10)

5 (3)

Saves

Fouls

Corner Kicks

Offsides

Full stats

October 23, 2024

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State junior Livie Crooks (Wilbraham, Mass.) scored the game's opening goal, then Kiana Muratsuka (Mililani, Hawaii) scored the next two as the Owls defeated Plymouth State 4-1 in a non-conference match from Plymouth, N.H. on Wednesday afternoon.

The Owls roll into the final week and a half of the regular season with momentum as the win moves the Owls to 8-0-2 in their last ten games and 9-3-4 overall. The Panthers fall to 5-10 on the season.

Westfield went ahead inside the 13^th minute with Morgan Berthiaume (Webster, Mass.) possessing the ball after a Panthers turnover, sending a pass through the box to the left side of the penalty area to Crooks who drilled a low shot past Panthers goalkeeper Christa Giansiracusa (Tewksbury, Mass.) for her first goal of the season to give the Owls a 1-0 lead.

The Owls held a one-goal advantage into the second half where Muratsuka put the game away with a pair of goals within ten minutes of one another.

The first of the two came after a frenzy in front of the net after a give-and-go between Tia Tollis (East Longmeadow, Mass.) and Muratsuka ended with a Tollis shot that deflected off keeper Drea Oswell (Stafford Springs, Conn.), heading towards the goal line. A Plymouth defender attempted to clear the ball off the line, sending the ball off the post and back into the center of the box to Muratsuka who scored her first of two to double the Owls lead with just over 30 minutes left in the game.

With 20:42 remaining in the match, the Owls found a third goal. Jaida Cochran (Middleboro, Mass.) collected a throw in from Paige Brandt (Woodbury, Conn.) by the corner flag, turning and firing a pass into the box to the foot of Muratsuka who had time to turn and fire a shot towards the back post for her 10^th marker of the season, essentially putting the contest out of reach.

Plymouth cut the deficit down to two goals after a goal from Molly Bellmore (Hebron, Conn.), but the Owls had one final offensive push to extend the lead back to three goals. Muratsuka was in the center of the scoring once again, this time the facilitator on the scoring play as she set up Delaney Parker (Orange, Mass.) for her conference-leading 20^th goal of the season with 2:38 left in the match.

Westfield outshot Plymouth 21-5 as Kayla Santucci (Agawam, Mass.) got the start for the Owls, making two saves.

Westfield State has two games remaining in the regular season, both against MASCAC opponents beginning with a showdown on Saturday 12:00 P.M. from Alumni Field for senior day as the Owls (5-0 MASCAC) take on Bridgewater State (4-0-1 MASCAC) in a rematch of the 2023 conference championship game from a season ago.