Sept. 29, 2010

Box Score

FITCHBURG, Mass. - Freshman Rachel Jamieson (Foxboro, Mass.) registered her first collegiate hat-trick, leading Fitchburg State to a 5-2 victory over Emmanuel College in non-conference women's soccer action this evening. The game featured an action packed start with six of its seven goals coming in the opening 19 minutes of play. The loss dropped the Saints to 3-8 on the season, while the Falcons improved to 4-3-1 overall.

Jamieson sparked the Falcons' offense with six points in the contest, while junior Carissa Kennedy (Somerset, Mass.) added five points with two scores and one helper. Senior Ali Landry (Bellingham, Mass.) was also strong chipping in with two assists on the day.

Fitchburg State jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead just 5:19 into play as Kennedy notched back-to-back markers over a 2:21 span. Kennedy's first goal came from Landry, who won possession of the ball, kicking it up and over a defender to Kennedy, who finished to the left corner of the net. On the second tally, senior Heather Sharp (Halifax, Mass.) connected with Kennedy, who slipped it by the right side of Emmanuel's freshman goalkeeper Beatrix Hassler (Jericho, Vt.) for a 2-0 advantage.

Emmanuel fired back, scoring a pair of goals over a span of three minutes to knot the score at 2-2. Freshman Darcy Sullivan (Dalton, Mass.) put the Saints on the board in the 12th minute of the match, hitting her third goal of the season off an assist from classmate Lindsey Garvey (Warwick, R.I.). Garvey then followed just 3:15 later as the freshman headed in her team-leading fourth score of the season to even the match at two apiece.

The Falcons responded immediately, as Jamieson recorded two consecutive markers in a 1:17 span. The freshman forward sent a solid left-footed strike from just outside the box, hitting the top-shelf of the right side for her first goal of the game. Jamieson shortly followed up her first collegiate goal with another score, giving the Falcons a 4-2 edge at the break with a right-foot touch shot to the low post.

In the second half, both offenses cooled down, as Fitchburg State notched the lone goal of the half to secure its fourth victory of the season. The Falcons grabbed a three-goal advantage midway through the period, when Jamieson completed her hat-trick off an assist from Landry. Emmanuel threatened late in the period with scoring opportunities from Sullivan and Donandrea Myette (Portsmouth, R.I.), but a header off the post and two wide shots later kept the Saints off the board.

Fitchburg State used a 32-18 command in shots and 8-4 advantage in corners to snap its two-game winless streak. Junior goaltender Melanie Berent (West Hartford, Conn.) was strong in net for the Falcons, totaling eight saves over 86 minutes of work, while Hassler posted an incredible 18 stops for the Saints.

Fitchburg State (4-3-1, 1-1-0 MASCAC) will be back in action on Saturday as it hosts Westfield State at 2 p.m. Emmanuel (3-8-0, 1-4-0 GNAC) will host Norwich University on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the second half of a GNAC men's and women's soccer double header.

Courtesy of Fitchburg State Sports Information