#worcester state

Rick O’Connor plays a pass up the boards to Derek Ridgeway.

By Amelia Foley

Asst. Sports Editor

Framingham State hosted Salem State on Dec. 3 for a MASCAC matchup that resulted in a 5-0 loss.  

Salem took the lead only four minutes into the game when Michael Chen scored a goal that was followed by a second from Andrew Bucci 13 minutes later.  The first period ended with SSU leading 2-0.  

Four minutes into the second period, Michael Casale scored again for SSU.

In the 8th minute of the game Tyler Colacchio got a breakaway, but was hooked in front of the net. The Rams were awarded a penalty shot but it went just wide of the net, leaving the score 3-0 Salem.

The Vikings added on two more goals before closing the second period, making the final score 5-0.

The third period remained scoreless as both teams were unable to convert on any plays.

Adam Calabrese made 19 saves before being relieved by Alessio Muggli after the last goal in the second period. Muggli made 10 saves and the Rams were outshot 34-25.

The Rams lost a close MASCAC game to UMass Dartmouth at Loring Arena on Dec. 5.  

UMD tallied two goals in the first four minutes of the game giving them an early lead.  Mark Essery cut the deficit in half only a minute later when he scored off a rebound.

In the 11th minute there was a collision in the net and Calabrese was carried off the ice and replaced by Muggli.  Calabrese made four saves.  

The Rams evened up the game when Brent Barber scored on a power play in the 18th minute of the game. Rick O’Connor took the lead 20 seconds later when he went unassisted to the net, ending the period 3-2, Rams.  

In the second period, Colacchio scored for the Rams only 27 seconds in on a power play.

The Corsairs quickly retaliated with two goals of their own, evening the score.

Colacchio took back the lead, completed a hat trick and scored the final goal for the Rams at 18:33.

The Rams gave up two goals in the final period of the game.  Mike Sones scored for UMD a minute in.  

In the 14th minute, the final goal of the game was scored when Brandon Gilmore intercepted a pass from Framingham’s defense and converted the shot.

UMD had a total of 49 shots on net and FSU had a close 48. Muggli made 38 saves and Drew Michals made 42 for the Corsairs.

With the loss, Framingham drops to 1-5 in the MASCAC.

The Rams traveled to Worcester to face Assumption on Dec. 9 for a non-conference game.

Framingham took the lead early in the first period when Rich Hill took a shot from the blue line that made it past Assumption’s goaltender.

In the second period, Brandon Bete and Nick Fennuccio each scored within five minutes, giving the Greyhounds the lead.

Greg Stoya took the puck up the ice several times before Cam Klahre was able to convert the play into a goal.

Less than a minute later, Ryan Gomez scored for Assumption and took back the lead.

In the third period, the teams went back-to-back with goals. Jack Murphy scored first for the Rams at 2:08, but was quickly followed by a goal from Stephen Picard for the Greyhounds.

O’Connor tied up the game with just five minutes remaining, making the score 4-4.

Matt Cowles put the Greyhounds up for good when he converted on a pass from Picard.  Assumption took a shot on an empty Rams’ net, but the shot went too far right and missed.

Alex Erban scored the final goal with only two minutes left in the game for Assumption.

Muggli made 46 saves and the Rams were outshot 52-49.  With the loss, the Rams close out the semester 2-8 on the season and 1-5 in the MASCAC.

The Rams return to the ice after the New Year at Western New England on Jan. 6.

By Matt Ferris

Asst. Sports Editor

The Rams traveled to Worcester State on Nov. 6 to take on the Lancers in the MASCAC semifinals.

The Rams and Lancers went back and forth throughout the first half, but neither team was able to convert any chances, ending the half 0-0.

Just 50 seconds into the second half the Lancers drew first blood. Alicia Macomber received a long pass from teammate Jenna Martin, and sent a rip into the top corner of the net. Goalkeeper Sara Sullivan was unable to make the save giving the Lancers a 1-0 lead.

Just one minute later, the Lancers struck again, making it 2-0. This time it was Nikki DiPilla who sent a shot into the goal.

In the 77th minute, the Lancers would add one more insurance goal, putting the game out of reach. Kendel Bergenholtz dribbled the ball down the field and snuck a shot past Sullivan to make it 3-0, the eventual final score.

The Rams’ best scoring chance came in the first half, when Angela Pallotta took a free kick from about 30 yards out. She fired a shot on net, but goalkeeper Jillian Witkowski was able to get a hand on it, making the save.

The Rams were outshot 17-10 by the Lancers.

Sullivan made six saves, while Pallotta led the team with four shots in the game.

The loss dropped the Rams to 11-7-2 on the year.

By Matt Ferris

Asst. Sports Editor

The Rams traveled to the University of New England on Nov. 11 to take on the Nor’easters in the ECAC Division III New England Championship.

The Rams earned the postseason berth by going 10-5-2 in the regular season.

The Rams kept it scoreless for much of the first half until the 43rd minute. The Nor’easters struck first making it 1-0 when Becca Murphy received a pass and shot the ball into the back of the net.

Just four minutes after halftime, it was Murphy again. This time she shot a low strike past Sullivan to make it 2-0.

The Nor’easters put the game away, scoring three unanswered goals in a six minute span. All of the goals came from Edie Pallozzi earning her a hat trick, the first in the 62nd and the third coming in the 66th. The three goals made it 5-0 Nor’easters.

The Rams were outshot 26-9 in the match.

Sullivan made eight saves for the Rams in the loss, while Marissa Miele led the team in shots with three.

By Matt Ferris

Asst. Sports Editor

The Rams took on Worcester State in the MASCAC semifinals on Nov. 6.

The Lancers came out hot in the first 10 minutes, but thanks to three diving saves by Rams goalkeeper Josh Arno, the score remained 0-0.

The game remained very even from this point on. Both teams had a couple of scoring chances, all of which were unable to be converted. The teams went into halftime tied 0-0, which remained the case for most of the second half.

In the 77th minute, the Rams were awarded a penalty kick after a Lancers defender was called for a handball in the box. The Rams decided on leading scorer Cory Cardeiro to take the penalty. Cardeiro stepped up and fired his shot just inside the left post to put Framingham State up 1-0.

Framingham would never look back from this point on, holding onto the lead and winning the match 1-0.

The Rams were led by Cardeiro and Arno. Cardeiro finished with nine shots and scored the game winning goal, while Arno made nine saves en route to a shutout.

With the win, the Rams move to 7-12 on the year and advance to the MASCAC final.

By Matt Ferris

Asst. Sports Editor

Framingham State hosted Bridgewater State in the MASCAC final on Nov. 8.

The second seeded Rams and the fifth seeded Bears battled to earn a spot in the Division III men’s soccer championship as the MASCAC’s automatic qualifier.

The Rams got on the scoreboard extremely early, scoring the game’s first goal just 38 seconds into it. Simon Appiah received a lead pass from Ken Stahovish. Appiah corralled the ball and ripped a shot on net. The shot beat goalkeeper Colin Jepson and put the Rams up 1-0 early.

In the 19th minute, the Bears tied things up at one. Andrew Chenard received a pass from Conor Murtagh and sent a shot past Arno.

Just six minutes later, the Bears struck again. This time it was Murtagh who placed a header into the net putting the Bears up 2-1.

The Bears weren’t done yet. Fifteen minutes after the second goal, Bridgewater State put a third unanswered goal on the scoreboard. It was Murtagh again, sending another header past Arno, making it 3-1.

The Rams started their comeback just 15 minutes after halftime. Stahovish received a pass from Cardeiro, and sent a long strike on net. The ball struck the cross bar and redirected down into the net. The goal made it 3-2, with over 30 minutes left to play.

The Rams had a few more scoring chances but were unable to convert on any, ending their comeback just short.

Arno made three saves in the game, while Cardeiro and Appiah led the team in shots with four each.

By Jen Fortin

Staff Writer

The Framingham State women’s volleyball team finished its season with a 3-0 win against Worcester State on Friday.

Alycia Rackliffe completed 17 kills with only two errors. Sarah Leonard contributed 29 assists of the team total of 36.

Danielle Girard had four service aces and 16 digs.

Julia Wan and Rackliffe tied with three blocks each.

FSU pulled ahead 8-5 in set one with Rackliffe’s three service points.

The set tied at 13 and 14 points and Worcester gained a slight lead of two points.

Girard scored four service points to seal the Framingham lead and the set-ending mistake from Worcester left the Rams on top, 25-19.

The second set was led by Sara Malicka’s eight service points to make it 13-3, gained primarily from WSU attack errors.

Framingham kept the lead and Malicka contributed another three service points to end the set at 25-11.

The final set was a back-and-forth battle between the two conference rivals until the Rams gained a small lead.

Wan helped to win the set with six service points, obtained through Lancer attack errors, three kills from Girard and one from Mackenzie Webster.  

The Lancers’ Jennifer Cabral totaled only seven kills while setter Jamika Townsend had 14 of the 17 assists in the game. Middle blocker Valerie Hoyle had three blocks and both Townsend and Katrina Kangwijaya tied at two service aces.