Women's Soccer Shuts Out Mass. Maritime to Close Regular Season

BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. – The Worcester State University women's soccer team concluded its regular season with a 6-0 victory over Massachusetts Maritime Sunday afternoon in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference action at Clean Harbors Stadium.

The Buccaneers were held scoreless but they did get off their fair share of shots. Taylor, who finished her career as the Buccaneer women's soccer all-time leading scorer with 41 career goals, was looking to add to that total as she led the Bucs with four shots, all on target, in the game. Sophomore Anna Deely (Marstons Mills, Mass.) rattle of three shots of her own, one of which found the target. Sophomore Colleen Sullivan (Braintree, Mass.) was responsible for the remaining two shots for the Bucs, with one of them on goal. Goalie Mikayla Houlihan (Middleboro, Mass.) faced 19 Lancer shots in the game. She allowed the six goals but also made 13 saves in the game including a couple of acrobatic saves to turn the ball behind goal.

The six Lancer goals came of the foot of five different players in the game, led by two from sophomore Tayla O'Leary (Salem, Mass.). O'Leary's goals came on four shots on target. Skylar Alves (Ashburnham, Mass.), Kass Liquori (Enfield, Conn.), Ali Maldonado (Rutland, Mass.), and Talia Borci (Leicester, Mass.) scored the other four goals for the visitors. Of the six goals, only two assists were recorded by Maddie Fong (Norton, Mass.) and Valerie Gordon (Lowell, Mass.). In total, the Lancers shot 28 times, 19 of which were on target. Starting goalie, Ashley Spellman (Lancaster, Mass.), picked up the win saving both of the shots she faced. In the second half, Spellman was relieved by Tori Socci (Blackstone, Mass.) who saved three shots for Worcester State.

It took 18 minutes before Borci found the back of the net for the Lancers on an unassisted effort. Alves added her goal in the 23rd minute followed by O'leary's first in the 32nd minute. Worcester held a 3-0 advantage going in to the halftime break.

In the second half, the Lancers doubled their lead on a 57th minute goal by Maldonado, a 71st minute unassisted goal by Liquori, the first of her collegiate career, and the sixth and final goal in the 75th minute of the foot of O'leary for her second score. The Buccaneers did their best to find the back of the net but the Lancer defense and goalkeeping was too much and the game finished by the score of 6-0 in favor of the first place Lancers.

The Buccaneers finish their season 2-14, 0-7 in the MASCAC. The Lancers finish the regular season 10-7 overall and 7-0 in Conference play. As the number one seed in the conference, the Lancers will begin their playoff run on Friday evening at home.

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Release courtesy of Mass. Maritime Sports Information.