Plymouth State eliminates Western from LEC Tournament, 5-0

BOX SCORE

PLYMOUTH, NH (Nov. 2) —  The Plymouth State University field hockey team blanked Western Connecticut State University, 5-0 in the Little East Conference Tournament Quarterfinals at Arold Field on Wednesday afternoon.

From the desk of Kent Cherrington - Plymouth State SID

Freshman Nikki Garvey (Canaan, N.H.) scored three goals Wednesday afternoon at Arold Field to lead second-seeded Plymouth State University to a 5-0 victory over seventh-seeded Western Connecticut State University in a first-round game of the Little East Conference Field Hockey Tournament.

Garvey scored two goals in the first half to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead at the break.  She tallied her third goal 30 seconds into the second half as PSU pulled away.  Plymouth State improved to 16-2 this season, while Western completes its season at 10-7.

The Panthers advance in the LEC tourney and will host a semifinal game Friday at 2:00 p.m. at Arold Field.  The opponent will be determined Wednesday evening when third-seeded UMass Dartmouth hosts sixth-seeded Worcester State University, with the winner moving on to face PSU on Friday.

The Panther defense limited Western to just three shots on goal, and junior goalie Hilary Lemelin (Milan, N.H.) stopped all three chances as PSU posted its eighth shutout of the year.

Garvey put PSU on the board midway through the first half when she was awarded a penalty stroke, and rifled the ball into the left side of the net for a 1-0 lead.  She made it 2-0 seven minutes later when she knocked in a rebound, and it was a two-goal game at the break.

Garvey completed the hat trick to open the second half, giving her 11 goals on the season, third-most on the team. Sophomore Jackie Morin (Scarborough, Maine) added her team-leading 16th goal of the season just five minutes later, and freshman Hannah Powers (Attleboro, Mass.) rounded out the scoring with five minutes to play, with a nice assist from sophomore Lauren Carroll (Rollinsford, N.H.).

PSU finished with a 22-3 advantage in shots and a 9-3 margin in penalty corners. Western freshman goalie Alyssa Picariello (Montrose, N.Y.) made eight saves before coming out of the game with five minutes remaining.

Plymouth State defeated both of its potential semifinal opponents this season, downing Worcester State 2-1 on Sept. 17 and edging UMass Dartmouth last Saturday, 4-3.