Last Second Goal Downs Owls at Smith, 14-13

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State sophomore attacker Marena Morales (Tolland, Conn.) tallied six goals but Layna Fitzgerald scored the game-winning goal for Smith College with 18 seconds remaining to defeat the Owls 14-13 in a non-conference game from Northampton, Mass. on Friday afternoon.

The Owls fall to 1-3 on the season while the Bears improve to 4-2 overall.

Westfield trailed by three with 4:34 remaining in the third after a goal by Kyra Hawk, but Mercedes Rozzi (South Burlington, Vt.) was able to trim the gap to a single goal after recording consecutive free position goals, the second coming with 1:07 left in the period.

The two sides traded goals to begin the fourth quarter, then Morales and Kayli Bush (Westfield, Mass.) strung together back-to-back markers to even the score at 12 apiece with 3:27 to play. Caroline Sanders regained the advantage for the Bears with 2:17 remaining.

Westfield lost the ensuing draw control but stood tall on defense and eventually forced a turnover. After a good clear entry into the Bears end, a foul from Smith set up a free position attempt for Morales who buried her sixth goal of the contest to even the score with 50 seconds left in regulation. The Owls were a blistering 7-for-8 in free position shots, scoring five of their final six goals off free position chances.

A Bears draw control win eventually led to Fitzgerald's game-winner with 18 seconds to go then another draw control secured by Sanders drained the clock.

Morales had eight points in a standout afternoon, notching a pair of assists to her six-goal performance. Rozzi recorded four goals and Christina Roncarati (East Longmeadow, Mass.) scored twice. Fitzgerald and Hawk each generated four goals for the Bears.

Izzy Conley (North Salem, N.Y.) delivered another strong outing in between the pipes, registering 14 saves while Brooke Testa made 11 stops for the Bears. Smith held a 34-29 shots advantage. Both teams were efficient in transitioning from defense to offense with the Owls successfully clearing 20 of 21 attempts while Smith was a perfect 15-for-15.

Westfield State's next two games will be played at Panama City Beach, Florida as the Owls travel south for spring break to take on Plymouth State University on Tuesday at 11:00 A.M.