WESTFIELD, Mass. – Jayjay Evborokhai (Chicopee, Mass./ Holyoke) scored the game winning goal in the 81st minute to lift the Westfield State Owls over the University of New England Nor'easters on Tuesday, September 21 on Alumni Field.
Westfield State improves to 3-4 on the season while the Nor'easters slip to 1-6.
Evborokhai's late game heroics broke a scoreless stalemate in which a combined four shots were put on net. The decisive goal was set up by Coleby Andrade (Falmouth, Mass./ Falmouth) who corralled a clearance attempt then ripped a thirty yard screaming shot that rang off the cross bar. Evborokhai found himself at point blank range under the ricochet and headed it home.
The Nor'easters did not go quietly, nearly knotting the game in the final seconds. A Westfield foul just outside the penalty box set up University of New England's best scoring opportunity with 30 seconds remaining. The free kick was played across the goal to Sam Higgins (Chatham, Mass./ Monomoy Regional) who headed it back across the face of the goal to Alex Woodworth (Pittsburgh, Pa./ Obama Academy). Woodworth managed to get two shots off in heavy traffic hitting the crossbar on the first then heading the rebound to an open net before Evborokhai cleared the ball off the goal line to preserve his game winner.
The Owls return to conference play on Friday, September 24 for a 6:00 p.m. start at MCLA. The Nor'easters host conference foe Gordon on Saturday, September 25 at noon.