Salem, Mass. – Leah Wood (Loveland, OH) broke a scoreless tie in double overtime to lead Salem State past Fitchburg State 1-0 on “Senior Night” at Alumni Field on Friday evening. The win lifts the Vikings to 6-9-1 on the year and improves their Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference record to 3-4, while the Falcons slide to 3-14-1 and 1-5-1 in conference.
Wood scored with less than five minutes remaining in the second overtime. Fitchburg State keeper Morgan Steele (Somerset, MA) corralled a loose ball and attempted to clear the zone, but her kick went right to Wood, who deflected the ball past a surprised Steele from 10 yards out.
Neither team generated many scoring chances in the first half. Salem State attempted just four shots on net while the Falcons managed just two. The Vikings dominated corner kicks, totaling 10 to Fitchburg’s zero and tSalem State opened the second half with back-to-back corners, but were unable to convert.
The Falcons missed their best scoring chance midway through the second when Victoria Floeck (East Taunton, MA) rifled a shot from the left side from 12 yards out that sallied just wide of the right post. Five minutes later, Salem State’s Brunelle, laced a shot that hit the bottom of the crossbar, but the ball did not cross the goal line and the game remained tied 0-0.
Birchmore’s free kick in the first overtime was the only legitimate scoring chance by either side as Steele easily made the save, sending the game to a second overtime period; setting up Wood’s game-winner.
Toomey earned the win for the Vikings in net, making a pair of saves while Steele was called upon to make seven stops in the losing effort.
Salem State ended the regular season in fifth place in the conference and will await their opponent in next week’s MASCAC Post Season Tournament.
Before the game, Salem State honored seniors Lauren Valdario (Winchester, MA), Alysha Brunelle (Auburn, MA), Melissa Toomey (Saugus, MA), Danielle Frazier (Waltham, MA), Rachel Ledbetter (Dracut, MA), Leah Wood (Loveland, OH), and Kelly Birchmore (Swampscott, MA) for their commitment and dedication to the women’s soccer program.
