DANBURY, Conn. - Freshman
Erin Frank (Westbury, N.Y.) scored the game-winning goal with 6:25 left in the fourth quarter to lead the Western Connecticut State University Wolves to a 2-1 win over the visiting University of Maine-Farmington Beavers in field hockey action this evening at Westside Stadium. WestConn, which trailed, 1-0, in the fourth quarter, improves to 3-2 with its second win in a row, while the Beavers drop to 1-3. The Wolves will host Springfield tomorrow at 6 p.m. for their third game in five days.
WestConn was behind, 1-0, at halftime and outshot Maine-Farmington, 6-1, in the scoreless third quarter before tying the game 2:06 into the fourth frame. WestConn senior midfielder
Alyssa Montalvo (Holbrook, N.Y.) inserted the first penalty corner of the fourth from the right side, immediately had the ball played back to her, and quickly passed to classmate
Madison Preston (Brookfield, Conn.) who shot high past Beaver goalie Abigail Herlihy to the the game 2:06 into the final quarter.Neither team got off a shot for nearly six minutes before Preston was stymied by Herlihy only have Frank come up with the clinching goal on the rebound.
WestConn took three shots in the first 2:49 of the opening quarter but all three stopped by Beaver starting goalkeeper Hailey Johnson. The Wolves defense was impenetrable the entire second half, yielding just a wide shot by Maine-Farmington's Mikayla Wilcox early in the third frame and none the rest of the game. Wilcox took the lone Beaver shot of the first quarter and Johnson made three more saves in the second quarter, before Gabby Vincentson beat Wolves rookie goalie
Brooklyn Testa (Danbury, Conn.) with a low shot off a penalty corner to give the visitors a 1-0 lead with 3:35 left in the first half. Autumn Freeman assisted on the play for the Beavers. Johnson and Herlihy finished with six saves each, while Testa made two stops to collect her first career victory.
