Women's Soccer looking to avenge early season loss to Bridgewater in MASCAC playoffs
North Adams, MA- The sixth seeded MCLA women's soccer team will head to third seeded Bridgewater State on Tuesday night in the quarterfinal round of the MASCAC championships. The Trailblazers will be looking to avenge an early season setback at the hands of the Bears. Kickoff is set for 7pm at Alumni Field in Bridgewater.
In the other quarterfinal, the fourth seeded Framingham State Rams will host the fifth seed, the Salem State Vikings. Worcester State is the top seed while the Westfield State Owls are seeded second as both receive first round byes.
MCLA opened the MASCAC season at Bridgewater back on September 19th and the Bears handed the Trailblazers a 2-0 defeat. In that contest, MCLA went into halftime scoreless with the Bears, however a pair of second half goals ultimately was the difference for BSU giving them an early conference win. MCLA keeper Katy Daly recorded eight saves in the contest. The Bears owned the stat sheet in the first meeting outshooting MCLA 27-4 and holding an 11-1 edge in corner kicks. The Bears received goals from Drew Guay and Taylor Loyd in the victory.
Over the course of the season, the Bears are led on offense by Marissa Yowell's five goals and twelve points. Caitlin Rowley has tallied four times for the Bears, while Courtney Pepin and Allyson Pontes have six points apiece. Bridgewater has allowed just 19 goals all season long as Lauren DeSousa has 15 starts and recorded six shutouts. She has turned away 90 shots on the season.
The Trailblazers will need to generate more offense this time around, but scoring has been a challenge for MCLA. They have tallied just eight goals throughout the regular season. Senior Jackie Dwyer leads the team with three goals, while Natalie Caney is the most explosive player with a pair of goals and assists for six points. Senior Alexi Anderson has been versatile late in the season providing an offensive spark on the front line. In goal, MCLA will start veteran Kate Daly. She has started and played every minute for MCLA this season. She has recorded 111 saves and notched a pair of shutouts.
The winner of the match will move on to Friday's semifinal round at Westfield State.