Women's Soccer Downs Westfield State, 3-1; Earns First Win Over Owls Since 1996
WOMEN'S SOCCER DOWNS WESTFIELD
STATE, 3-1;
EARNS FIRST WIN OVER OWLS SINCE 1996
CHICOPEE, MA, Sept. 12, 2006 - Elms College freshman forwards Serina Percoski (Westfield, MA) and Krystyna Gagne (Methuen, MA) netted goals in an 87-second span midway through the second half to help lift the Blazers to a 3-1 win over Westfield State College in Tuesday afternoon's non-conference women's soccer game at Leary Field.
Elms College (1-3) earned its first win over Westfield State since 1996 and won for just the second time in the last 16 games against the Owls dating back to 1991. Westfield State (2-2) saw its current two-game winning streak snapped.
The Blazers took a 1-0 lead when senior forward Jen LeDoux (Easthampton, MA) cashed in on a penalty kick after being hauled down inside the penalty area by a Westfield State defender.
The Owls responded in the 68th minute on a goal by senior forward Kate McMillan (Belchertown, MA). Elms College sophomore goalkeeper Shannon Donnelly (Florence, MA) made a beautiful diving stop on a point-blank shot from senior forward Erin Lowney (Westport, MA), but McMillan collected the rebound and blasted a shot past Donnelly.
Elms College then took the lead for good in the 74th minute when Percoski split a pair of defenders and blasted a shot inside the near post past Westfield State senior goalkeeper Natalie Araszkiewicz (Framingham, MA) for her second goal of the season.
Gagne then sealed the win with her second goal of the year 87 seconds later after receiving a brilliant through-ball from junior defender Caitlin Childs (Hingham, MA).
Donnelly finished with eight stops to earn the victory, while Araszkiewicz turned aside two shots in the second half for the Owls, who outshot the Blazers 30-7.
Elms College opens up its North Atlantic Conference (NAC) schedule at Becker College on Saturday, September 16. Game time is 2:30 p.m.