Athletics News and Press Releases

September 7, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jen Steele
(413) 585-3076

Field Hockey Falls to Westfield State in Season Opener

Northampton, MA: In the Pioneers home opener with Westfield State, Smith fell 3-2 to the Owls. Although it was a non-conference match-up, it was the season opener for both squads. The Owls start the season with an early slated victory, sitting at 1-0, while the Pioneers fall to 0-1.

The young Pioneer squad, featuring 10 first year players, came out extremely aggressive, applying early pressure to the Owl defense. Smith dominated the first half, controlling the offensive attack and only allowing Westfield past the mid-field mark a few times. The Pioneers took 14 shots in the first half and the Owls’ senior goalie, Cat Hanks (Somers, CT) came up with 5 big saves. However, with the score still standing at stalemate at the 10 minute mark, the Owls attacked the Pioneer defense and junior Megan Wolski (Plymouth, MA) scored the first goal of the game on an assist from sophomore Kara Guttarr (Dedham, MA). Not to be outdone, Smith rallied back and first year Rebecca Capute (Easton, MD) scored her first goal as a Pioneer with 3:23 left in the first half.

Both teams came out strong after the halftime mark, but it was the Owls who again jumped on the board first. Guttarr scored her first goal of the game on an assist from sophomore Vicky Winson (Upton, MA) at the 18:32 mark. Westfield tacked on another point 90 seconds later when Wolski connected on a penalty shot. With the score standing at 3-1, the Pioneers struggled to gain a long possession until the six minute mark. Capute scored her second and last goal of the night with 5:46 left on the clock. In an exciting finish, Smith was awarded a penalty corner shot with 11 seconds left in the game. Although the Pioneers were not able to connect before time ran out, they were awarded an additional penalty corner. The excitement that came with the two penalty corners was enough for the Owls, as they attacked the Smith offense and no goal was awarded.

The Pioneers are back in action Tuesday, September 12th when they travel to NESCAC competitor Amherst College. Game time is slotted for 4:30 pm. The Pioneers will not return home until October 3rd, when they host NEWMAC rival Springfield College at 6:30 pm.

                                          1    2    F
Westfield (1-0, 0-0)              1    2    3
Smith (01-, 0-0 NEWMAC)    1    1    2

Scoring:
First Half
    Westfield- Megan Wolski (9:18)
    Smith- Rebecca Capute (3:23)
Second Half
    Westfield- Kara Guttarr (18:32)
    Westfield- Megan Wolski (17:00)
    Smith- Rebecca Capute (5:46)

Keepers:
Smith- Margaret Winter (70 mins, 3 GA, 6 saves)
Westfield- Cat Hanks (70 mins, 2 GA, 7 saves)

Corner Shots:
Smith- 8
Westfield- 3

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