Women's Soccer Draws With Framingham, 1-1

WESTFIELD, Mass.  --     Westfield State senior Kiana Muratsuka (Wahiawa, Hawaii/Mililani HS) scored early in the second half to level the match at 1-1, but the Owls couldn't muster a go-ahead goal in finishing in a 1-1 tie with Framingham State in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference match at Alumni Field on Saturday.

Westfield stays unbeaten in league play at 4-0-2 and is now 5-4-6 overall.    Framingham moves to 3-2-1 in the MASCAC and 5-6-3 overall.

Westfield had won nine straight matchups against the Rams, by a combined margin of 35-1 before today's match.  The Rams last drew with the Owls (also 1-1) in the 2015 season.

Today, a renovated Framingham lineup,  that included 6 first-years and four sophomores in the starting eleven, took a 1-0 lead against the Owls in the 30^th minute of play when Hailey Ring (Warwick, Mass./Pioneer Valley) slotted a shot just inside the left post on a counter attack with a feed from Leiyani Buckner (Bakersfield, Calif/Independence).

Westfield had the better of the attacking play, generating 10 corner kicks in the first half alone, but couldn't get a leveling goal before the break.   Muratsuka had perhaps the best opportunity with a free kick from 25 yards out that was tipped over the top by Rams GK Savannah Goba (Norton, Mass.).     The Owls had a good counter attack opportunity with eight minutes left in the half, but Morgan Berthiaume's (Webster, Mass./Douglas) shot from the left side was saved by Goba.

The Owls finally got even 3:10 into the second half, when the Owls took the ball away in the defensive end, and finalized in transition as Liv DeMember (West Boylston/Algonquin) sent a long through ball ahead on the left side to Muratsuka, who fired a shot that ws deflected up by Framingham GK Amelia Finley (Plymouth, Mass./North), who had come on to start the second half, but the deflection hit the bottom of the cross bar and went in to tie the match.

The Owls finished with a 13-2 edge in corner kicks, but couldn't connect for a goal on any of them.  The Owls out-shot the Rams 18-10.   Westfield was vexed by eight offsides calls in the match as well.

Westfield's best chance late came when Berthiaume hit the cross bar on a long shot with 5:39 left in the match.  

Westfield will be back in action at Alumni Field on Tuesday night, hosting national #15 Williams College at 7:00 p.m.