Adams and Athanasopoulos Duo Push Lancers to Victory over Lyons

Worcester, MA- The Worcester State Field Hockey team was back in action after a historic win last Friday, looking to claim win number two on the season. The Lancers met up with the Wheaton Lyons on John F. Coughlin field in a non-conference  Tuesday night battle.

Final: Worcester: 2     Wheaton: 1

The Lancers dominated the first quarter with junior Madison Avilla (Westport, MA) moving the ball up through the middle. Several attempts were made by both teams before the Lancers were first able to get on the board with a beautiful ball, from what is becoming the common duo, of senior Grace Adams (Leominster, MA) to senior Zoe Athanosopoulos from the top of the circle down to the baseline, were Athanasopoulos carried the ball in passed Lyons goalkeeper senior Emma Lapreziosa (Bowdoinham, ME) for score number one of the game. Just one short minute later Wheaton capitalized off a corner when senior Anda Brown received the insert and sent the ball over to junior Delia Knox for a rocker drive past senior Sam Gastonguay (Ashburnham, MA) to equalize the game at one a piece. 

Worcester attempted to grab the lead back in the second, the most threatening coming off a sequence from sophomore Charlotte MacGregor, who carried the ball down the right side of the field from the 45 and passed it into Adams who took a shot that was saved by the foot of goalie. Despite the battle, neither team found the net again, keeping the 1-1 tie into the half. Worcester ended the second quarter with 9 shots while Wheaton was able to secure 6 in the first two quarters of action.  

Junior Madison Avilla (Westport, MA) would score with seven minutes left in the third quarter after grabbing a dished pass from Adams and single handedly working her way around the defense into the circle to rocket the ball into the backboard . A minute later Adams would again look to be the pivotal playmaker, breaking away down the field that resulted in two shot opportunities for the Lancers and a corner, but ultimately the Lancers were unable to find the back of the cage. Defensive player sophomore Allison Keenan (Marlborough, MA) was pivotal in the backfield breaking down the Lyons attack, coming up with stop after stop to see the third quarter quickly move into the fourth with the score still 2-1.

The final quarter of the game saw a continuation of the Lancers' pressure and intensity. Wheaton tried to keep going for goal grabbing a corner with just 10 seconds remaining in the game, but even with the Lancers two players down with cards they were unable to find a way past a rock solid Lancer defense. Worcester State would walk away with their second win of the season. Gastonguay finished the game with four saves, while Lapreziosa would end the night with eight. Adams would end the night with five shots and an assist, along with being a central piece in the Lancers attacking game, having a hand in each goal scored. 

Worcester State moves to (2-3, 1-0) while Wheaton now sits at (3-4, 0-1) on the season. The Lancers are back in action on Thursday when they continue their non-conference slate of games with a trip to Endicott College for 7pm.