Westfield, Mass. – Westfield State first-year forward Delaney Parker (Orange, Mass.) scored a pair of goals as the Owls ousted Western New England, 3-1, in a non-conference match-up at Alumni Field on Wednesday evening.
The Owls got on the board quickly in the 7th minute as goalkeeper Lauryn Davis (Templeton, Mass.) sent a kick bounding down the midfield line to the feet of Parker, who beat two defenders on the left side and then fired a strike past Golden Bears keeper Molly McLaughlin (Guilford, Conn.) to take the lead.
In the second half, senior midfielder Jenn Rennich (Bedford, Mass.) sent a touch pass to the right side, which was collected by forward Madi Dufries (Leicester, Mass.) and buried into the lower left corner of the net to put the Owls up two.
Western New England (6-5) would answer mid-way through the second half, as first-year forward Kyleigh Wheaton (Dartmouth, Mass.) gathered a pass from junior Danielle McCarthy (Old Lyme, Conn.) and beat Davis to cut the deficit in half. Six minutes later, at the 77th minute, Parker would deliver her 17th goal of the season to put the game out of reach.
McLaughlin stopped nine shots on net for the Golden Bears, while Davis saved five. The Owls out-shot the Golden Bears by a slim 15-12 margin.
Westfield State (7-4-1) will remain home for their next contest as the Owls take on Mass. Maritime in a MASCAC conference game on Saturday at noon at Alumni Field in Westfield, Mass. Western New England will play host to Curry College on Saturday at 2:30 P.M.